


Beca, The Street Performer

by Another Bechloe Shipper (AmyP91402)



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Singing, street performing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-04 06:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16341221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyP91402/pseuds/Another%20Bechloe%20Shipper
Summary: Beca is a student at UCLA with aspirations of becoming a pop star. She is a street performer at Santa Monica Pier in hopes of being discovered.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was inspired by a vacation I took with my family a few months ago.

It was move-in day at UCLA. Just about all of the freshmen were excited to begin this new chapter in their lives. There was at least one person not excited at all, though.

Beca Mitchell reluctantly took her suitcase to her dorm room. She'd only agreed to go to college after her father had made it clear he would only continue to support her financially if she were enrolled in college. He was a comparative literature professor, so her tuition was free. Beca had wanted to be a singer, but she knew she couldn't be a starving artist for long.

Beca was petite with brown hair, grey-blue eyes, pale skin, an ear spike in one ear, and several tattoos. She liked to wear heavy eyeliner because she felt it made her look badass. She'd been small her entire life, and she'd dealt with people treating her like she was much younger than she was. It was just her way of making it clear to others that she was not a delicate little flower.

She walked into her dorm and saw a heavy set blonde had already begun to move in and decorate her side of the room with various pictures of dingoes and kangaroos.

The girl introduced herself before Beca could speak. "I'm Fat Amy, you must be Beca," she said with a thick Australian accent.

"You call yourself Fat Amy?" asked Beca.

She nodded. "Yeah, so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back."

Beca raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She could have sworn in the back of her mind that her school paperwork said her roommate's name was Patricia.

She began to unpack her things when she heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, this is Campus Police, hide your wine coolers!"

The door opened, and in walked Dr. Mitchell. He smiled, and said, "Haha! Just your old man making a funny."

Beca rolled her eyes, turned back to her unpacking and said, "Chris Rock, everybody."

He turned to Fat Amy, and said, "Hey, you must be Beca's roommate. I'm Dr. Mitchell, Beca's dad. I teach comparative literature here."

"I'm Fat Amy. I'm the best singer in Tasmania. With teeth."

Not knowing how to respond, Beca's dad turned back to her and said, "So, when did you get here? How did you get here?"

"I took a cab. I didn't want to inconvenience you and Sheila. How is the stepmonster?"

"She is fine, thank you for asking. She-"

Beca cut him off. "No, Dad, I don't actually care. I just wanted to say 'stepmonster.'"

Dr. Mitchell changed the subject. "So, have you guys been out on the quad yet? In the springtime, all the students study on the grass."

"I don't wanna study on the grass, Dad. I want to get signed by a record label as a singer."

"Here we go again. Beca, only very few people ever get a job as a professional singer, and so many become one-hit wonders. You need a college education to fall back on in case you being a 'pop star' doesn't work out. You're getting a college education, for free, I might add. End of story." He'd done air quotes when saying the words "pop star," making Beca roll her eyes.

"I'm going to the activities fair," said Fat Amy.

"Me too," said Beca. "I'm going to the activities fair with my super good friend, Fat Amy."

Beca walked to the activities fair. Fat Amy had run off to the a capella section. Beca thought a capella singing was lame, so she let Fat Amy go off by herself. She walked around, looking at the different clubs, and she saw one with rainbow flags on the table.

She cautiously walked up to the students and was greeted by a very friendly African American woman with very short hair and a bright smile. "Hi! Any interest in joining QA?" Beca smiled back. She'd discovered a few years ago that she was gay, but she'd never really been "out" back in high school. There had been girls in her high school that had caught her eye, but she had never tried to pursue any of them. If "gaydar" was a thing, Beca didn't think she had it. She'd told her mother, as the two had grown close after her father left, but her mother was the only person to whom she'd said the words aloud.

"Umm...what?"

"I saw you looking at the rainbow flags. Anyone is welcome to join – gay, bi, straight, pan, non-binary, trans, and anywhere in between."

"Oh," said Beca, taking the flyer the woman had placed in her hand.

"My name's Cynthia Rose, but you can call me CR. Over here is my girlfriend, Denise," she said, nodding toward a brunette with brown eyes who was also handing out flyers.

"Hi," said Beca. She could feel the women assessing her.

"Let me guess, not 'out' yet?" asked Denise, quietly. Beca shook her head.

"Well, this is a great place to get support. Not all of us are out either, and we all understand."

"It's also a great place to meet girls," CR added. "That's where I met Denise." Denise blushed as CR planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Meetings start next Tuesday," said Denise. "We have a big event planned for National Coming Out Day. You don't have to come out, though, if you don't want to."

"I'll think about it," said Beca. "It was really nice to meet you guys."

* * *

Beca went back to her dorm, putting the flyer in her desk. She wasn't sure about the Queer Alliance, but she thought she'd consider it if she was going to be stuck in college for a while.

Fat Amy walked in. "So, QA, huh?"

Beca didn't realize Amy had seen her at the table. She thought she'd try to play it off. "Oh, I was just..."

"It's cool, Beca. I don't mind being roomies with someone who likes to dive into the 'lady pool.' At least you won't be stealing my boyfriends."

"Well, yeah, no danger of that," said Beca. "So, you're okay with having a gay roommate?"

Amy shrugged. "Sure, just warn me if you bring a girl back here."

"Yeah, I don't think I-"

"And I'll try to warn you if I bring one of my boyfriends over. But if you see a sock on the door, you might want to knock first."

"Gross."

"I'm like a free-range pony, I can't be tied down."

"That doesn't even make any-"

"So, that's settled. No sex in the dorm room while the other one is here. And, I, for the record, am not into the ladies. You're cute, but-"

"Amy, it's fine. I won't hit on you. I promise," said Beca.  _This roommate of mine is so weird,_ she thought _._

"So, have you been to Santa Monica Pier?" asked Fat Amy.

"No, why?" asked Beca, confused by the abrupt change in subject.

"I was there the other day, and they have street performers. I bet it would be a great way to get discovered since you want to be a singer and all. And, if you really like singing, you could audition for one of the a capella groups."

"First off, 'no' to a capella, it's not my thing. But what is this about street performing?"

"There are singers and magicians and everything up and down the boardwalk. It's LA, so maybe you'll get lucky. You could at least make some money from tips."

"So, I just go there, and sing? And put a hat or something out for tips?"

"I think so."

_This may be the first thing I've heard out of Amy's mouth that has actually made sense,_ Beca thought. She decided she'd better look up the rules for street performing. Something told her she'd be the unlucky one to get busted for street performing, and her dad would never let her hear the end of it if he had to bail her out of jail.

She and Fat Amy headed to the dining hall to get some dinner. While Fat Amy was definitely a person who marched to the beat of her own drum, Beca couldn't help liking the girl. It didn't hurt that Fat Amy had immediately accepted Beca's sexuality, probably more easily than Beca had accepted it herself.

After dinner, Fat Amy and Beca parted ways. Beca wanted to finish unpacking, and Fat Amy said something about going out with one of her boyfriends. Beca just hoped if Fat Amy was serious, she wouldn't be kicked out of her dorm on her first night.

Beca turned on her laptop and looked up Santa Monica Pier. She was relieved to find that it was legal to perform on the boardwalk, but she had to get a permit. She resolved to look into that as soon as possible. While she didn't know whether or not someone would discover her, it was at least a good way to earn some spending cash. She could start and stop whenever she wanted, and it sounded like more fun than flipping burgers.

Her phone buzzed with a text from her dad.

_Dr. Dad: How's your first night going? Off to any parties?_  
_BM: No, Dad. I just finished unpacking._  
_Dr. Dad: Did you find anything you liked at the fair? You really should put yourself out there and join a club, now that you're in college._  
_BM: Dad, it's the first day on campus. But I think I found something._  
_Dr. Dad: That's great, Bec! What are you joining?  
_ _BM: I think I'm joining QA._

Beca waited to see if her father would respond. She hadn't exactly wanted to tell him over text, but she could never find the words when she saw him in person. It didn't help that he and her mother had divorced several years ago, and he'd moved 1000 miles away from Beca and her mother in Seattle. She'd hardly seen him since the divorce. She was forced to spend certain holidays with him and a bit of time in the summer, but the distance had made regular visits impossible.

After a few minutes, her father called her cell.

"Bec?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"QA, the Queer Alliance, huh? Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Beca swallowed hard. "Yeah, Dad. I...I like girls, Dad. And, just girls. I'm gay."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Dad, I've hardly seen you since you left me and Mom."

"Okay, I deserve that. Does your mother know?"

"Yes."

"So, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No, Dad."

"Well, I hope you bring her to meet me when you do."

"That's it?"

"Beca, I just want you to be happy. I don't care who you love as long as you're happy."

"Thanks, Dad."

She chatted for a bit, getting suckered into visiting her dad and the stepmonster for dinner the next day, and then told her father she had to finish unpacking.

This sure had been an interesting day. She'd quadrupled the number of people who knew she was gay, and it had turned out fine. She had possibly the strangest person on the planet for a roommate, but she seemed harmless. This strange person had given her an excellent idea for a job that might even work out to her getting discovered by someone at a record label.

If she was going to be stuck in college for a while, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The Queer Alliance is a real club at UCLA. Thanks a bunch to the commenter who told me it's usually abbreviated QA for short!


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe Beale was spending a Saturday afternoon at Santa Monica Pier with her friends Aubrey Posen and Jessica Smith. Chloe had red hair, blue eyes, a thin build, and a scar on her forehead from a fall as a child. Aubrey stood taller than Chloe, with blonde hair and green eyes. Jessica was also tall and blonde with green eyes, but she was a little thinner and had a much quieter personality. All three women were seniors at USC and members of the SoCal VoCals, an a capella group with several ICCA championships under their belt. Jessica was the captain, and Chloe and Aubrey were her co-captains. The group had worked so hard in rehearsals that week that the leaders had decided to give them the weekend off from rehearsing. Aubrey and Chloe had been roommates since their freshman year, and they'd quickly become close to Jessica as well.

The three women were having a great time chatting, enjoying the various street performers when Chloe suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Aubrey looked over at Chloe. "Chloe, what's going on?" Chloe didn't respond, still frozen. Aubrey followed Chloe's gaze to a tiny brunette with an ear spike, a few tattoos, and way too much eyeliner. She was singing for tips. She'd drawn quite a crowd, and she had a beautiful voice.

 _You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say_  
_I'm talking loud, not saying much_  
_I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet  
_ _You shoot me down, but I get up_

"Oh, boy," said Aubrey.

"What?" asked Jessica.

"That song...it has an interesting effect on Chloe."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say I learned the hard way to steer clear of Chloe's bedroom when she has that song playing."

"Oh," said Jessica. Chloe was known for being a bit too open about her sex life.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

Chloe broke out of her frozen state of shock, pushed through the crowd, and got the singer's attention.

"You can really sing!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Dude! I'm in the middle of a performance!"

"How high does your belt go?"

"My what? Oh my god! I'm trying to give a performance here. I'm going to lose out on tips."

"You were singing Titanium, right?"

"Yeah, you know David Guetta?"

"Have I been living under a rock? Yeah. That song is my jam, my  _lady jam_."

"That's nice."

"It is. Song really builds," Chloe added with a wink.

"Gross."

"Can I sing it with you?"

"No, go away!"

"Not for that reason. Your voice is just so beautiful. I'm not going away until we sing together."

"You going to ask for my tips, too?"

"No, all yours, I promise. I'll leave you one if you let me join you."

The singer looked at Chloe, who showed no signs of leaving. She started on the chorus.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

Chloe joined the girl, harmonizing.

 _Fire away, fire away_  
_Ricochet, you take your aim_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_Shoot me down, but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_Shoot me down, but I won't fall  
_ _I am titanium_

The two women had drawn an even larger crowd, and people were dumping tips into the hat pretty quickly. They smiled at each other as they finished the chorus.

The brunette was the first to break the silence. "I take back what I said about losing tips. Your harmonizing probably just doubled mine. I'm Beca, by the way." She offered her hand to shake.

"I'm Chloe," she said, shaking her hand. "Thanks for letting me sing with you." She opened her purse and grabbed a $20 bill. She turned to one of her friends. "Hey, Aubrey, do you have a pen?"

"Chloe, what are you doing?"

"Aubrey, do you have a pen or not?"

"I always come prepared," she said, handing Chloe a pen. Chloe began to write on the bill.

"Chloe, what are you writing?"

"My number," she said. She handed the bill to Beca. "Here you go. There's my number. Call me."

Beca took the bill and stared at it, seemingly frozen in shock. Chloe went back to her friends, calling "See ya later!" to Beca.

"Chloe, why did you give that alt-girl your number?"

"What? She's cute."

"If you say so. I think she looks a little too 'alternative' for you. You just met her."

"She sang my lady jam, and she let me join her. What's not to like?"

"She let you join her because you all but forced her."

"I couldn't help it. There's just something about Beca. I'm drawn to her, and I don't know why."

Jessica broke in. "Enough, you two. We're here to have fun. Let's go ride the Ferris wheel!"

Jessica, Aubrey, and Chloe had a great time riding the rides and eating junk food. Chloe enjoyed her time at the pier with her friends, but thoughts of Beca stayed in the forefront of her mind.

* * *

Beca shook her head in an effort to get her focus back. She couldn't believe this redhead, Chloe, had so boldly joined her song. She also couldn't believe she'd publicly informed Beca and everyone else in earshot about the song being her lady jam. Something told Beca that this young woman had no boundaries. She was awfully cute, though, and she'd given her a huge tip. She'd never seen gotten such a large tip, and definitely not with anyone's phone number on it.  _Who was this girl?_ She shrugged as she put the bill in her pocket.

Beca went back to her singing, this time going with Praying by Kesha.

 _Well, you almost had me fooled_  
_Told me that I was nothing without you  
_ _Oh, but after everything you've done_

 _I can thank you for how strong I have become_  
' _Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell_  
_I had to learn how to fight for myself_  
_And we both know all the truth I could tell_  
_I'll just say this is I wish you farewell_  
_I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'_  
_I hope your soul is changin', changin'_  
_I hope you find your peace  
__Falling on your knees, prayin'_

* * *

That night, as she was back in her dorm room, she went through her tips. She'd done really well, making nearly double the amount she'd made the previous weekend. She couldn't attribute it all to Chloe, as she'd really only joined her for the chorus of "Titanium," but maybe that had given her the confidence boost she'd needed to sing a little longer than she'd planned.

As she was sorting through her tips, her roommate burst in.

"How did you do?" asked Fat Amy.

"Better than I've ever done," said Beca.

Fat Amy walked over to Beca, seeing the $20 bill with Chloe's name and number. "Who's Chloe?"

"Oh, she's just someone who left me a tip."

"That's an awfully big tip, are you sure it was just for singing?"

"Amy!"

"I'm just saying..."

"Amy, it was just singing," said Beca. "But, she did a weird thing."

"What?"

"She interrupted my song, told me it was her lady jam, and then insisted on joining me. At first, I thought she was going to take my tips, but she didn't. She left me this with her number on it. And...I think people liked it because I swear more people were putting money in the hat."

"Are you going to call her?"

"No...I mean yes...I mean...I don't know."

"Is she hot?"

"God, yes."

"So, call her."

"It's not that easy."

"Well, I don't know about the ladies, but I ask guys out all the time. That's why I have so many boyfriends."

Beca seriously doubted Amy had a lot of boyfriends. She wasn't even sure she had one boyfriend. She never brought anyone back to the dorm, but Beca wasn't going to risk Amy changing her mind by saying anything.

"Look, Amy, I'm not ready to call her. I seriously don't even know how to ask a girl out."

"Let me help you so you can call her when the mood strikes." She grabbed Beca's phone and the $20 bill.

"Amy, what are you doing?" She grabbed Beca's thumb to unlock the phone. "Amy, what the hell?"

She pulled up Beca's contacts, added Chloe's name and number, and handed back the phone and the money. "I'm just saving her number into your phone. You should call her."

Beca hurriedly put the money away and put her phone in a drawer.  _Why do I seem to find people without boundaries?_ She thought.

"Beca?"

"Yeah, Amy?"

"What are you doing three weeks from tonight?"

"I have no idea. Why?"

"Resonance competes in the quarterfinals."

"What does that mean?"

"That's my a capella group! The quarterfinals are right here on campus. You should come watch."

"I don't know, Amy." Beca suppressed an eye roll. She didn't think she could sit through a whole night of lame a capella singing.

"Come on, Beca. Support me. You know, we have a few members of QA in it."

Beca perked up. "Who?"

"CR and Denise."

"Okay, maybe. I'm not making any promises."

"If you go, I'll get one of my boyfriends to sneak some booze into the dorm for us."

"Okay, okay. I'll go. Just no posting drunk pictures of me on your Instagram."

"Who me?"

"Amy..."

"Okay, I promise. No posting drunk pictures of you on Instagram."

Beca shook her head. She was trying to think in her head of ways to prevent Amy from posting anything on Instagram. The Australian had happily accepted a friend request from Beca's dad, and she didn't want to think what her dad would say if he saw a picture of her drinking underage at school. Her mom was considerably more easygoing about that sort of thing. The one time in high school that Beca sheepishly called her to come pick her up from a party because she was too drunk to drive, the woman had been so relieved that Beca had done the right thing, she hadn't even punished her. Well, she did make a ton of racket the next morning to annoy her hungover daughter, but that was as far as she'd taken it.

The two girls changed into pajamas and Fat Amy turned on the TV. "Look, Sharknado is on!"

"Oh my god," said Beca. "I don't even like movies, and that one's just ridiculous. A tornado of sharks? Give me a break."

"It's better when you're drunk off your ass," said Amy. She pulled a bottle of vodka out from under her bed. "Want some?" she asked.

Beca shrugged. "I guess it can't make this movie any worse."

Fat Amy poured vodka for the two of them. "Bottoms up!"

After about five shots, Beca was drunk enough to find the movie really interesting. "Ammmmyyyyy...you're riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Mush be'er wheeeeennn drrrruuuuuuuuuunk!" Beca slurred.

The two girls spent the rest of the evening laughing at the movie.

In the coming weeks, it became their ritual to watch Sharknado when they drank. Amy had even bought the DVD set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The SoCal VoCals is a real a capella group at USC. Kelley Jakle (the actress who plays Jessica) was a member when she went to school there. Resonance is also a real a capella group at UCLA. Both of them have YouTube channels worth a look.


	3. Chapter 3

_Three weeks later_

Fat Amy was dressed all in black, waiting for Beca to be ready to leave.

"Why do I have to be there early with you?" Beca asked.

"I want you to meet everyone."

"Can't I meet them later?"

"I don't want to wait. Come on!" Beca followed Fat Amy. She didn't have anything better to do anyway.

Fat Amy and Beca arrived in the rehearsal area, seeing the members of Resonance looking somber. Beca spotted CR and Denise. "Hey, guys, what's wrong? Why does everyone look so sad?" asked Amy.

"Ashley lost her voice and can't sing the lead for 'Praying.' We might have to drop out. I tried, but I can't hit the notes right," said Denise.

"Beca could do it," said Fat Amy. "She's a great singer."

"Amy..." said Beca, annoyed. She didn't want to do some lame a capella singing.

"Hey, you're already in black!" said Fat Amy. "And you told me that's one of the songs you sing at the pier."

"I wear all black almost every day, Amy. I just came here to see you, Denise, and CR perform."

"It's not a bad idea, actually," said CR. "Ashley didn't really even dance in it. Do you know the song?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Just try it," said Denise.

"Hold on," said a tall brunette. "Just because you  _say_  she can sing doesn't mean she can. I'm the captain, and she's not joining until I hear her sing."

Beca took offense to that comment. She was going to be a pop star someday, and she wasn't going to let some lame a capella captain tell her she couldn't sing.

"I can. I'll show you." She grabbed an empty cup that had been sitting on the piano in the room.

She sat on the floor, flipped the cup over, and began a rhythm pattern she'd originally seen on YouTube and had wasted an entire afternoon learning. After repeating the rhythm twice, she began to sing while continuing the rhythm.

 _I got my ticket for the long way 'round_  
_Two bottle 'a whiskey for the way_  
_And I sure would like some sweet company_  
_And I'm leaving tomorrow, wha-do-ya say?_  
_When I'm gone_  
_When I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me by my hair_  
_You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh  
_ _I know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

She looked up at the group with a smug smile when she saw their shocked faces.

The tall brunette simply said, "Welcome to Resonance. I'm Alice."

"Thanks," said Beca. She then realized she'd just joined the very thing she thought was possibly the lamest thing in the world, all because she'd gotten upset at being accused of not being able to sing. She mentally face-palmed. She wasn't going to turn back now.

"Okay, I think the best thing to do is have you join for the last song. Ashley sang 'Praying' and we mashed it up with 'Fools.'" She motioned to a smiling brown-haired man with brown eyes. "That's Jesse. He sings 'Fools.'" Beca smiled cautiously at Jesse. She still couldn't believe she'd signed on for this. Amy owed her big time.

They spent an hour going over things. Beca would mostly sing the song straight through, having a solo line at the end. There was a little back and forth with Jesse, but the main focus was on her.

A few of the girls from Resonance added a little extra make-up to Beca's face so the stage lights wouldn't wash her already fair skin out, and the next thing Beca knew, it was time to go backstage.

A young, sweet-faced boy told Alice, "Resonance, five minutes."

"Thanks, Benji," she replied. She turned to Beca. "Okay, just like we rehearsed, as soon as Jesse sings the last line in his solo song, you need to be opposite him in the middle of the stage." Beca smiled nervously and nodded. She still couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this.

The announcer introduced Resonance and Beca waited backstage. They started strong with "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, Fat Amy in the lead. She had a lot of charisma and had the crowd and judges' attention. This was a good start. Next, Jesse took to the middle of the stage. He sang beautifully through "Billie Jean." When she heard him sing the line "She said I am the one" she walked onto the stage to meet him in the middle. He finished with the line "She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene" and he turned toward Beca.

He began:

_But only fools fall for you, only fools_

Beca followed with:

 _Well, you almost had me fooled_  
_Told me that I was nothing without you_  
_Oh, but after everything you've done  
_ _I can thank you for how strong I have become_

  
' _Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell_  
_I had to learn how to fight for myself_  
_And we both know all the truth I could tell  
__I'll just say this is I wish you farewell_

 _I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'_  
_I hope your soul is changin', changin'_  
_I hope you find your peace  
_ _Falling on your knees, prayin'_

Jesse continued his part of "Fools."

 _But only fools fall for you_  
_Oh, our lives don't collide, I'm aware of this_  
_We've got differences and impulses and your obsession with_  
_And our hopes,  
_ _Though I try to resist I still want it all_

 _I see swimming pools and living rooms and aeroplanes_  
_I see a little house on the hill and children's names_  
_I see quiet nights poured over ice and Tanqueray  
_ _But everything is shattering and it's my mistake_

At the same time, Beca continued "Praying," showing a lot of raw emotion.

 _I'm proud of who I am_  
_No more monsters, I can breathe again_  
_And you said that I was done_  
_Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come_  
_'Cause I can make it on my own_  
_And I don't need you, I found a strength I've never known_  
_I'll bring thunder, I'll bring rain, oh-oh  
_ _When I'm finished, they won't even know your name_

The rest of the group, save for Jesse continued with "Praying."

 _You brought the flames and you put me through hell_  
_I had to learn how to fight for myself_  
_And we both know all the truth I could tell  
_ _I'll just say this is I wish you farewell_

At the same time, Jesse sang:

 _Only fools fall for you, only fools_  
_Only fools do what I do, only fools fall_  
_Only fools fall for you, only fools  
_ _Only fools do what I do, only fools fall_

He repeated those lines while Beca and the group continued with "Praying."

 _I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'_  
_I hope your soul is changin', changin'_  
_I hope you find your peace  
_ _Falling on your knees, prayin'_

Beca continued, singing solo.

 _Oh, sometimes I pray for you at night_  
_Someday, maybe you'll see the light  
_ _Oh, some say, in life, you're gonna get what you give_

Jesse joined Beca for the next line.

_But some things only God can forgive, yeah_

The group continued the chorus from "Praying."

 _I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'_  
_I hope your soul is changin', changin'_  
_I hope you find your peace  
_ _Falling on your knees, prayin'_

Beca delivered the final line with as much emotion as she could muster:

_Praying!_

She followed her group backstage, receiving a lot of thanks, congratulations, and hugs. Beca wasn't a fan of all of those people touching her, so she stiffened as several members took turns hugging her. She got an even bigger surprise when she realized one of the hugs was coming from Chloe, the cute redhead who'd insisted on joining her performance on the pier a few weeks ago. She jumped away in surprise. She'd figured out from their brief meeting at the pier that the girl didn't have boundaries, but this was a bit much.

Chloe spoke before Beca could say anything about the surprise hug. "Beca! That was amazing! I didn't know you did a capella."

Beca looked back at her, wide-eyed and blinking for a few seconds before responding. She was still shocked at the unexpected hug, possibly more about the fact that the woman wasn't acting like she'd even done anything unusual. "Well, I didn't until today, actually. I was a last-minute sub for someone."

"You mean you just learned that number today?"

"Yeah." Beca blushed at the compliment.  _What is this woman doing to me? I never blush like this,_ she thought.

"Well, you'll be giving the SoCal VoCals a run for our money with that performance."

"The what?"

"The SoCal VoCals. Our group. We're from USC."

"Oh."

"SoCal VoCals, you're up," called the boy Beca thought she'd heard Alice call Benji.

"I guess that's me," said Chloe.

"Good luck," said Beca as she followed her group to their seats in the audience.

Beca thought to herself as she sat in the audience, waiting for the SoCal VoCals to begin. She had to admit that she'd even surprised herself with how well she'd done with almost no rehearsal. And, to be honest, a capella was actually pretty fun. It might still be a little bit lame, but she loved singing on stage.

Chloe's group took to the stage, dressed in white and/or black with jeans. They started with "Hammer."

 _I see you later_  
_Come and pick me up_  
_I'll be, waiting_  
_You hit me, I can go, play the hammer_  
_Call me in the moonlight_  
_I'll be back just one night  
_ _Oh if you wanna_

The group made a half-circle, and all but the girl in the middle faced backward. Beca recognized her from the day she met Chloe, but she wasn't sure she'd ever learned the girl's name. She began her solo, bringing a lot of sass to her performance.

 _Tell me you can fill, this open invitation_  
_I know it isn't real, but we're so good at escaping_  
_'Cause we're so waking  
_ _We're so tainted, we'll never get enough_

The group joined in, the soloist still taking the lead.

 _So tell me, I see you later_  
_Come and pick me up_  
_I'll be, waiting_  
_You hit me, I can go, play the hammer_  
_Call me in the moonlight  
_ _I'll be back just one night_

The soloist continued, the group doing background vocals and instrumental sounds.

 _Always on the run_  
_From who we were, who we become_  
_And I know you won't be there_  
_And I know you won't be there_  
_When it all comes on down_  
_But we got this moment (take my hand and hold on)  
_ _We are golden, tomorrow will be gone_

The group joined again for the chorus.

 _So tell me, I see you later_  
_Come and pick me up_  
_I'll be, waiting_  
_You hit me, I can go, play the hammer_  
_Call me in the moonlight  
_ _I'll be back just one night_

The soloist led the bridge of the song.

 _Baby got me feeling like one in a million_  
_We go run past the ceiling to the sun_  
_Wake me up, 'cause that's where I been sleeping_  
_There's no one here gone to heaven_  
_I don't wanna know the ending  
_ _I'll just hit me, hit me_

The whole group continued with the chorus.

 _So tell me, I see you later_  
_Come and pick me up_  
_I'll be, waiting_  
_You hit me, I can go, play the hammer_  
_Call me in the moonlight  
_ _I'll be back just one night_

The group repeated the chorus while the soloist did an outro.

 _I see you later baby_  
_When you come and pick me up_  
_You hit me like a hammer baby_  
_You hit me like a hammer baby  
_ _You hit me like a hammer baby_

They ended the first song with the soloist striking a pose in the middle while the audience erupted in cheers. Beca was astounded. She didn't think she'd even heard the girl say a word when she'd been at the pier.

The group then moved to a song Beca recognized from her childhood, "Pure Imagination." She didn't like movies much anymore, but she had great memories of watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with her parents when she was a little girl, back before her parents had fought more than they'd gotten along. They'd pop some popcorn and she'd sit on the couch between them, laughing at the Oompa Loompas.

There wasn't a soloist this time, but Chloe was in the middle for a good bit of the song. Beca found herself mesmerized by how gorgeous the girl looked in just simple blue skinny jeans and a white top. She clearly put her heart and soul into performing, and Beca had a feeling Chloe was the reason she'd gotten so many tips that time she'd insisted on joining her at the pier. The group overall was pretty interesting to watch. There were a lot of formation changes during this song. The audience cheered just as loudly when they'd finished this song.

A young man just slightly away from the center of the line started the next song.

 _Beautiful people, are you ready?_  
_We've been waiting for so long, so long, so long, so long, so long_  
_It's about to get hot and sweaty  
_ _and maybe..._

The group joined in for this next line

_We came all this way to turn you on_

_Come on_

The soloist sang

_Let me hear you scream_

This immediately got screams from the audience.

The group sang

_Come on_

The soloist repeated

_Let me hear you scream_

The group, again, sang

_Come on_

The soloist and the group continued

 _Let me hear you scream  
_ _Are you ready?_

The soloist began what Beca realized was "Finesse."

 _Ooh, don't we look good together?_  
_There's a reason why they watch all night long_  
_Yeah, I know we'll turn heads forever  
_ _So tonight, I'm gonna show you off_

 _When I'm walkin' with you_  
_I watch the whole room change_  
_Baby, that's what you do_  
_No, my baby, don't play_  
_Blame it on my confidence_  
_Oh, blame it on your measurements_  
_Shuttin' it down on sight  
_ _That's right_

The group continued with the chorus, doing sharp group choreography.

 _We out here drippin' in finesse_  
_It don't make no sense_  
_Out here drippin' in finesse_  
_You know it, you know it_  
_We out here drippin' in finesse_  
_It don't make no sense_  
_Out here drippin' in finesse  
_ _You know it, you know it_

The soloist continued with the next verse.

 _Now slow it down for me, baby_  
_'Cause I love the way it feels when we grind_  
_Yeah, our connection's so magnetic on the floor  
_ _Nothing can stop us tonight_

The group joined him.

 _When I'm walkin' with you_  
_I watch the whole room change_  
_Baby, that's what you do_  
_No, my baby, don't play_  
_Blame it on my confidence_  
_Oh, blame it on your measurements_  
_Shuttin' it down on sight  
_ _That's right_

 _We out here drippin' in finesse_  
_It don't make no sense_  
_O_ _ut here drippin' in finesse_  
_You know it, you know it_  
_We out here drippin' in finesse_  
_It don't make no sense_  
_Out here drippin' in finesse  
_ _You know it, you know it_

They repeated the chorus as a group again, but then the group and soloist turned to face away from the audience. The soloist knelt down, revealing the blonde Beca recognized as Aubrey, who surprised her and probably a good bit of the audience by performing the opening rap.

 _Drop top Porsche, Rollie on my wrist_  
_Diamonds up and down my chain_  
_Aubrey P, straight stuntin', can't tell me nothin'_ (Aubrey fake kicked the soloist when she delivered this line)  
_Bossed up and I changed the game_  
_See what do you mean? like ayy_  
_Flexin' on the 'Gram like ayy_  
_Hit the Lil' Jon, okay (okay), okay (okay)  
__Oh yeah, we drippin' in finesse and getting paid, ow_

Beca sat with her mouth dropped open. Aubrey had seemed so uptight. She had no idea Aubrey could rap.

Aubrey and three other members of the group did some hip-hop moves in the center, and then one of the guys danced up the middle, more hollering than singing

 _Say we got it goin' on, hey!_  
_We got it goin' on, hey!_  
_We got it goin' on, hey!  
_ _Turn up! Turn up! Turn up! Hey!_

The group went back to the end of the song.

 _Fellas, grab your ladies if your lady fine_  
_Tell her she the one, she the one for life (woo)_  
_Ladies, grab your fellas and let's do this right (do this right)_  
_If you're on one like me in mind (ow!)_

 _Yeah, we got it goin' on, got it goin' on_  
_Don't it feel so good to be us, ayy?_  
_Yeah, we got it goin' on, got it goin' on_  
_You know it, you know it_  
_Yeah, we got it goin' on, got it goin' on_  
_Girl, we got it_  
_Don't it feel so good to be us, ayy?_  
_Yeah, we got it goin' on, got it goin' on  
_ _You know it, you know it_

Beca was amazed at their set. She knew her group had done well, but she had a feeling they'd just been beaten. Fat Amy must have read Beca's expression because she leaned over and whispered "It's okay if they beat us. First and second place go to semifinals."

Beca continued to watch the other groups. A lot of groups did well, but Beca felt her group and Chloe's group were the most entertaining.

Sure enough, when it came to awards, Resonance took second place and the SoCal VoCals took first. Beca went to congratulate Chloe, but she was pulled away by a very excited Fat Amy.

"Let's go back to our room! My boyfriends bought us a bunch of booze. We should celebrate!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found the 2018 sets for both a capella groups on YouTube, so I inserted PP characters into them. The performances are worth watching. I also realize it's highly unlikely any group would give a solo to a newcomer, but I took some literary license.
> 
>  
> 
> [Resonance 2018 set](https://youtu.be/0ifjn5k4dVM)  
> [SoCal VoCals 2018 set](https://youtu.be/UJCXdlweBSM)


	4. Chapter 4

Beca followed Amy back to their dorm. Sure enough, there were bottles of booze in it. Beca wasn't sure if these boyfriends really existed, and she wasn't about to ask how they'd gotten into her locked dorm. For now, she was just happy to have some alcohol on hand. A quick glance at her side of the dorm didn't show anything out of place, so she decided not to worry about it right now.

"Hand me the phone, Amy," said Beca, her hand outstretched.

"Why?"

"No drunk pics of me on Instagram. That's what you get for accepting my dad's friend request."

"Fine," said Amy, handing it to Beca. Beca put Amy's phone in her desk drawer.

"Which Sharknado should we watch tonight?" asked Beca.

"The first one."

"Okay, you pour the drinks."

Amy had found a drinking game related to the movie online. "Okay, Beca, it says here that we drink every time:

\- The chainsaw is started  
\- Tara Reid screams  
\- Fin saves someone at the last second  
\- Someone dies  
\- There is a reference to the movie JAWS  
\- A news broadcast is shown  
\- The sharks' point of view is shown

Finish your drink:

\- The first "Sharknado" touches down  
\- Fin gets devoured

So, sounds like we'll be drunk early. Maybe you should get pajamas on in case you pass out."

"Amy!"

Fat Amy simply looked back at Beca, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, okay," replied Beca with a sigh. The last time she'd passed out drunk, Amy had put her to bed in her regular clothes. Amy claimed it was because Beca had been an "angry drunk," but she figured it was really that Amy was too lazy to bother helping Beca change.

Beca was much smaller and lighter than Amy, so she was pretty drunk just a half hour into the movie. She grabbed her phone. Amy was still fairly sober at this point.

"What are you doing, Beca?"

"I goooottttaaaa caaaaallllllllllll Chlooooeeeee," she slurred.

"Why?"

"She neeeeeeds to knooooooooooww."

"What does she need to know?"

"Thaaaaaaaaaat sheeeee's hoooooottt. Beeefooore th' ssshaaaaaaaarks eeeat her."

Fat Amy wasn't going to try and reason with Beca. This was too hilarious to stop.

Beca managed to find Chloe in her contacts and call her.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Chloooooeeeeeeeeeeeee."

"Who's this?"

"'s meee. Beeeeeecaaaaaaaaaa. I gotta waaarn you."

"Beca are you drunk?"

"Yeah, druuuuunk as a skuuunk." Beca laughed at her "clever" rhyme.

Chloe laughed. The cute singer from the pier was part of an a capella group and had just drunk dialed her. This was a stellar day in her book. "Okay, Beca, what are you warning me about?"

"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaarks."

"Sharks?"

"Yesssssssss. They're in th' air."

"The air?"

"Yeeeaah. 's a shaarknaaaadoooo."

"There's a sharknado?"

"Yeeeaah. Oh, mooore drinky. Vroom vroom."

"Okay, I'll be careful," Chloe said, still laughing. "Thanks for warning me." She wasn't going to ask where the "vroom vroom" came from. Beca was trashed. Chloe had a feeling Beca wouldn't even remember this conversation.

"Dooo yoooou knooooooow yoooou're hooooooooooooooooot?"

"Did you just call me hot?"

"Yeeeeeeeah. Haaaaad t' tell yooooooou."

"You had to tell me?"

"Yessss."

"Thanks." Chloe blushed as she chuckled, even though she knew Beca couldn't see her through the phone.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeelc'm. Yoooou waaant ooouuuutttt?

"Out?"

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaate."

"You're asking me on a date?"

"Yeeeeaahh. Iffff yooou doooon't diiiieee."

"Well, now that I know to avoid sharks, I won't die." Chloe continued to laugh as she replied. This was absurd, but Chloe couldn't tear herself away. She'd never have guessed Beca would be into the Sharknado movies, and she definitely didn't expect to be drunk dialed a warning about a sharknado.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeahhh. T'moooorrrrooooow."

"Okay, we'll go on a date tomorrow if we're both alive." Chloe was laughing really hard at this point, but Beca was way too drunk to notice.

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay. Moooore drinky now. Byyyyyyyyyyyyyye."

Fat Amy laughed at Beca as she ended the call. "Well, shortstack, I never would have guessed you'd drunk dial Chloe. You surprise me."

Fat Amy looked over at Beca when she didn't respond. She'd passed out. Amy took pity on her tiny roommate and helped her to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Beca woke up with her head pounding. What had she done? She remembered the a capella competition, starting the Sharknado movie with Amy, and nothing else. She was in her bed, though, and in pajamas, so that was good. Amy was in her own bed, snoring loudly.  _Okay, at least we're both safe,_ Beca thought.  _But what did we do?_

Before Beca could think harder about the night before, her phone buzzed with a text from Chloe. She wondered how Chloe had gotten her number? They'd only briefly spoken at the competition that night.

 _C: Good morning!  
_ _B: Good morning._

There wasn't any history of a text from Chloe on her messaging app, so how had she gotten Beca's number?

_C: I'm still alive, lol. Are we still on for our date?_

_Shit,_ she thought _._ Beca didn't know what Chloe was talking about. Had she drunk dialed Chloe? She checked her phone history. Sure enough, she'd called Chloe and talked for about five minutes. It was about a half hour after they'd started the movie. Well, that explained why Beca didn't remember much of anything anymore. Beca didn't want to admit she had no recollection of their conversation, so she played along.

_B: Sure. Sounds good._

Beca hoped she'd played it off okay. She didn't even know where or when, nor did she have any idea why Chloe was pointing out that she was still alive.  _Maybe I should go a little easier on the booze next time._

_C: So, do you want to drive, or should I pick you up?_

Chloe had made things a little easier for Beca. Beca didn't have a car on campus anyway, so that was an easy answer. She could still hide that she had no memory of the previous night's conversation.

 _B: I don't have a car on campus. Freshmen aren't allowed. Can you pick me up? Parking's free on campus on the weekends._  
_C: Sure. Which dorm?_  
_B: Sproul Hall. Text me when you get here, and I'll meet you outside the building. What time did we say again?  
_ _C: We never established a time. Do you want to do lunch or dinner?_

Okay, that was good. They hadn't made specific arrangements the night before. Beca figured dinner was better. It would give her more time to get over her hangover.

 _B: Let's make it dinner._  
_C: Dinner sounds good. There's a diner near USC that I like. Want to try it?_  
_B: Sure._  
_C: I have to go. I'll pick you up at 7, okay?  
_ _B: I'll be ready._

So, Beca had a date with Chloe. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage to get through the date pretending she'd had any idea what they'd talked about. She wasn't even sure why she'd called. Chloe was hot, and Beca had barely taken her eyes off of her during the SoCal VoCals' set. She must have still been at the forefront of Beca's thoughts, even while she was smashed. She hoped Amy would wake up soon, and maybe she'd help Beca remember.

Beca looked over at her roommate. Amy was still dead to the world. She decided to go find some greasy food to hopefully help her hangover. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered she'd put Amy's phone in her desk to keep her from posting drunk pictures of her. She retrieved it from the desk and put it on Amy's nightstand, knowing Amy had no boundaries and would likely find something she shouldn't in Beca's desk.

* * *

Beca returned from the dining hall, still hungover, but not too badly. She found Fat Amy awake, looking at her phone.

"How's it going, Amy?"

"I'm good. How ya feelin'?"

"I've had worse hangovers."

"Yeah, you were pretty gone last night."

"About that...what, exactly, did I do?"

"Oh, well, you'd have to ask Chloe. I could only hear half the conversation."

"Amy, come on."

"Nope. It's a secret."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. Not sure what Chloe said."

"What did I say?"

"You asked Chloe out."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because all I know is I asked Chloe out."

"And?"

"We're going on a date tonight."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I have no idea what I said to her."

"Well, you can ask her on your date."

"Oh my god, Amy, was it that bad?"

Amy just hummed in response, something she did when she didn't want to answer.

Beca spent the afternoon in her dorm, trying to sleep off her hangover and hoping Amy would cave and tell her something else. Unfortunately, none of her attempts were successful.

* * *

Chloe chortled to herself as she ended the text conversation with Beca. She had a distinct feeling that Beca had no recollection of their conversation and was trying to play it off. She'd definitely have to tease her about it on their date. She was looking forward to dinner that night. She was intrigued by the tiny brunette, and she wanted to hear how she'd ended up in an a capella group, with a solo.

Aubrey walked into the kitchen in their shared apartment. "What are you smiling about?" she asked.

"Just texting Beca."

"You mean the street performer who apparently also does a capella?"

"Like I know any other people named Beca," Chloe replied, rolling her eyes.

"Is she the one who drunk dialed you while I was out?" Chloe had told Aubrey about the conversation, but she hadn't mentioned Beca had been the one who had called.

"Yeah."

"So, let me get this straight. She joins an a capella group – our rivals, actually – and drunk dials you, asking you out, and you want to date her?"

"Aubrey, relax. It's a date, not a marriage proposal."

"But she was warning you about a sharknado."

"I've said and done weirder things while drunk, and so have you."

Aubrey shot her a glare. "It was just that one time."

"Yeah, but instead of an 'alt-girl' I recall it being a certain leggy brunette."

Aubrey turned beet red at Chloe's comment. "Okay, fine, but I wouldn't have said yes. I bet she doesn't even remember calling you."

"It's my life, not yours. It's a date, nothing more, but I do agree she probably doesn't remember. Besides, I don't recall you saying 'no' to that brunette who shall remain nameless." Chloe fake-coughed as she said "Stacie."

Aubrey shot Chloe a look. "You could have gotten out of it, you know. You didn't have to text her."

Chloe chose to drop the subject of Aubrey's drunk hook-up from years ago. "I don't  _want_  to get out of it."

"I don't get it, Chloe. I've never seen you go for the alt-girl type before."

"There's just something about her. I feel like I'm drawn to her."

"Are you sure it's not just because she sang your lady jam?"

"It's not that. It's just...I don't know. As I said, I'm drawn to her. It was her voice that stopped me dead in my tracks. The song she was singing was just the icing on the cake. And then, when I saw her at the a capella competition, I just felt like it was fate that I saw her again."

Aubrey just shrugged. "Just don't come crying to me if the date is a disaster."

"It's just one date, Aubrey," Chloe reminded her. "She doesn't even go to school here, so I can easily avoid her if it's awful."

"You say that now. I've never seen you act like this about anyone. I don't think your heart can take it if it's a bad date."

"Enough, Aubrey. I'm going, and you can't talk me out of it. Let's head to rehearsal. Jessica wants us to meet a little early. We only beat Resonance by five points, and that was with a last-minute sub on their part."

"Last-minute sub?"

"Yeah, Beca. She filled in for someone at the last minute. She told me herself."

"Shit. It's going to be harder to beat them if they get more time to improve their set."

"Exactly. We need a game plan."

Chloe, Aubrey, and Jessica met. They decided to add a few more rehearsals in during the week to further polish their performance. They were hoping to defend their national title, and they didn't want Resonance knocking them out of the finals.

Rehearsal went well. Everyone was on a high from the previous night's win, and they brought more energy than usual to the rehearsal. The group that was doing hip-hop moves during "Finesse" arranged to take a master class in hip-hop at a local dance studio that week. They were hoping to either learn some new moves to put in the set or improve the ones they were already doing. Chloe organized some "group cardio" times to keep the group's energy level up. They weren't mandatory, but she hoped it would improve things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I actually have no idea the rules for parking at UCLA. It was free on weekends where I went to college, so it's free on weekends in this universe. :)


	5. Chapter 5

It was 6:55 pm and Beca waited nervously outside her dorm building. The fact that Amy wouldn't tell her what she'd said to Chloe had her worried. What embarrassing thing could she have possibly said?

Beca spotted a familiar head of red hair, looking around by the dorm building. She caught Chloe's eye and waved. Chloe gave her a huge smile similar to the one she'd given Beca after joining her street performance. Beca smiled back. Chloe greeted Beca with an embrace, something Beca had already realized was her thing. Chloe was a hugger. Beca wasn't, but she didn't mind. Normally she wasn't a big fan of people touching her, but this was nice.

"Hi, Chloe."

"Hi, Beca."

"Any trouble finding the dorm building? I realized I didn't give you directions."

"Oh, I knew where it was. I have friends who go here, so I know the campus pretty well. Not as well as USC, but I can find my way around."

"Great. So, should we go to dinner?"

"Totes."

 _Oh no,_ thought Beca.  _She truncates words and probably thinks it's cute._ Beca smiled.  _Oh no, I think I might actually find this cute. I'm in for it._

"Beca?"

Beca shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Huh?"

"You zoned out on me there for a minute. You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go. Which way is your car?"

Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and led her toward the parking lot.

 _And we're touching again,_ she thought.  _But I can't say I mind. What is she doing to me?_

Chloe led Beca to a red Mazda 3. Beca wasn't the least bit surprised the car was red for some reason. It just seemed to fit Chloe, or at least what she'd already seen of Chloe's personality.

"You choose the music. Anything you want."

"Mind if I plug in my phone?"

"I said anything you want." Beca smiled, plugged in her phone, and began to play a mash-up. It was a mix of "Titanium" and "500 Miles."

"Where did you get that?"

"Oh, I made it. I like to make mash-ups."

"I never would have thought to mix those two songs."

"It was just something I threw together," she said with a shy smile. Beca didn't share her mixes much, but she immediately thought of it when she thought of Chloe and their impromptu duet at the pier.

"It's really cool," said Chloe.

"Thanks."

They drove for a few more minutes before Chloe pulled into a parking lot.

"Okay, we're here."

Chloe took Beca's hand and walked to a 50's style diner.

"Ever been here before?" Beca shook her head.

"You'll love the food," said Chloe. She paused for a minute, frowning. "Oh, I forgot to ask, are you a vegetarian or anything like that?"

"No, I eat whatever," said Beca.

"Awes."

"Yeah, awes."  _Where did that come from?_  Beca thought.  _I never talk like this._

Chloe grinned at the hostess. "Two please," she said to the hostess.

"Booth or table?" Chloe looked at Beca.

"Booth, I guess. Whatever you have is fine, though."

The hostess led them to a booth in the back corner of the diner and handed them some menus. "Your server will be right with you."

The two girls looked over their menus for a few minutes, deciding to split an appetizer first. They gave the server their orders and then got to talking. Chloe decided to have some fun with Beca. She thought she'd pretend that she believed Beca had remembered the conversation and see how far she could take it.

"So, you and your roommate had a lot of fun last night, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess we were a little excited about going to the semifinals."

"Sounded like fun. What's your roommate's name again?"

"Well, she calls herself 'Fat Amy', which is weird because the paperwork said her name was Patricia."

"That's different."

"She told me it's so 'twig bitches don't do it behind her back.' Believe me, it's the tip of the iceberg. I figured out early on that it's best that I don't ask questions."

"I'll bet. Thanks for the warning you gave me last night."

Beca felt her cheeks turning pink.  _What the hell did I say to Chloe last night? And how do I play this one off?_

"Oh, you're welcome."

"Yeah, let me know if I ever have to watch out for that again."

"Yes. Will do."  _How am I going to keep this up? Did Chloe not realize I had been drunk dialing her?_

"So, how many shots had you done when you called?"

 _Okay, she did realize._  "Oh, I don't know. Like...three?"

"You didn't sound like it was only three."

_Shit. What am I going to say to that?_

"Might have been five. I'm not sure. My roommate was the one pouring."

"You were pretty far gone. I'm surprised you remembered asking me out."

 _Maybe it's best I just tell her,_ thought Beca. She sighed and said, "Okay, honestly, I have no idea. I didn't even remember calling you until I got your text this morning." She buried her face in her hands, embarrassed to have admitted this.

They were interrupted briefly when the server brought their appetizer and drinks.

Chloe giggled. "I had a feeling. It's cool. You were funny."

"Okay, what did I say? My roommate won't tell me."

"Well, first you told me to watch out for sharks in the air."

"What?"

"You said there was a sharknado. I never would have guessed you liked those movies."

"I...only watch them when I drink. It's a weird ritual Amy and I started."

Chloe laughed. "Okay, not the weirdest thing I've ever heard. Although you saying 'vroom vroom' was up there. What was that about?"

Beca blushed crimson at that comment. "Oh, that must have been the drinking game."

"There's a game?"

"Yeah, Amy found it online. It lists the reasons to drink when you watch the movie. One of those is when the chainsaw is started."

Chloe nodded in understanding. "Got it."

"What else did I say?"

"You called me hot and asked me on a date as long as I didn't die."

 _I have got to stop letting Amy pour my drinks,_ thought Beca. "I can't believe I said that. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It gave me a good laugh for the night."

"Well, I guess I'm glad for that. And I'm glad I got to go on a date with you. I've had your number saved in my phone since that day at the pier, but I had trouble working up the guts to call you. I guess I needed some liquid courage."

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad we're on this date."

"Me too," said Beca, grinning.

The two women were interrupted again when the server brought their meals.

After a while, Chloe resumed their conversation. "So, how did you end up in Resonance? Did you  _really_  just join yesterday?"

"Yeah. My roommate joined, and she begged me to watch and support her. She was the one with the solo to 'Bad Romance.' Anyway, she dragged me there early to meet her group. The original soloist lost her voice, and I ended up with it."

"They just let you join?"

"Well, not right away."

"What do you mean?"

"Amy suggested I sing the solo. It's one of the songs I sing on the pier, and I started to protest. The leader started to make some comment about how I couldn't sing, and I got mad. I ended up singing a song I learned on a YouTube video, complete with a rhythm game on a plastic cup, just to prove her wrong. I impressed everyone, and then I couldn't back out."

"That's funny. You'll have to sing that song for me sometime and teach me the rhythm game. But why would you back out of the group?"

"I didn't realize how much fun it could be. I had only come along to support Amy. I know she's an odd bird, but I can't help liking her. She's crazy, but she's got a good heart. In fact, she's the second person I came out to, and she didn't mind at all."

"So, you're not out yet?"

"Not exactly. Obviously, I'm not that deep in the closet, but I haven't really publicly declared that I'm gay. My mom knows, Amy knows, and my dad knows, so that means my stepmother knows. I suppose anyone here who has figured out we're on a date knows. A few others know, seeing as I joined QA at school."

"QA?"

Beca nodded. "It's an LGBTQ club. QA stands for Queer Alliance. I saw them at the activities fair, and they're great. I feel a lot less alone."

"That's cool. I've been out since high school, but I never joined a group. I'm glad they're giving you the support you need."

"Yeah. We're planning something for National Coming Out Day. I haven't decided if I'm coming out, but I'm definitely going to be there either way." Beca paused. "So, how did you come out?"

"You know, I didn't make it a big event. I just dated both guys and girls in high school, so people figured out pretty quickly that I'm bi. Well, I think I'm more pan than bi, but I really don't know anyone who isn't cis-gender. I just know I wouldn't rule them out."

Beca hummed in understanding. The server brought their check. Beca insisted on paying, and the two women decided to go for a walk on the beach.

Beca was surprised when Chloe took her hand as they began to walk, more about the fact that it felt so natural. They began to talk about school.

"So, why did you choose UCLA?" Chloe asked.

"My dad teaches comparative literature there."

"Are you from LA?"

"No," she said. "I'm from Seattle. My parents divorced a few years ago, and my dad moved here. I stayed with my mom."

"Did you move here to be closer to your dad?"

"Definitely not. I'm trying to get a recording contract."

"You don't need college for that."

"I know, but my dad wouldn't support me financially if I didn't go to college. I'd never get a recording contract in Seattle. I'm hoping someone discovers me at the pier. It was Fat Amy's idea."

"Well, I think you're pretty awesome. Someone is totes going to hear you and sign you."

"I hope you're right. No luck yet. So, why USC for you?"

"Honestly? The a capella group. I saw the SoCal VoCals perform when I was in high school, and I just knew I had to be part of the group. I found out they were at USC, so I set my sights on going there so I could be in the group."

"I'm glad it worked out. Your group is something else. I can see why you'd want to join it."

"Thanks. I've made some of my best friends in that group."

"The two girls at the pier with you?"

"Yeah. Aubrey and I are roommates. We have been since we were freshmen. Jessica is the leader of the group, and we're pretty close to her as well."

"Jessica is the one who had the solo to 'Hammer', right?"

"Yes."

"And Aubrey did the rap in Finesse?" Chloe nodded. "I'd never guess she could rap. She seems so uptight," Beca said.

"She can be uptight when you first meet her. We found out she could rap at a party after she had a couple of drinks. She has this rap she does about her favorite drink - vodka and cranberry. It's hilarious. It took a little while before she'd do it sober in front of people." Chloe paused. "I still can't believe you pulled off that solo the day you joined."

"It was easier than learning the choreography to all the group numbers. I wasn't even in the other two."

"Still, that took guts."

"So does barging in on a street performer's song," Beca said with a smirk.

"Touché."

The two women chuckled as they continued to walk on the beach in comfortable silence. After a while, Chloe noticed the time.

"Hey, Beca, it's getting late. Do you mind if we head back? I have an early class in the morning."

Beca stifled a yawn. "Yeah, we probably should. I don't have class until 9, but the good stuff at the dining hall goes fast, especially on Monday mornings."

"Same at USC. I'm so glad I moved off campus last year."

They walked back to Chloe's car. Chloe drove back to UCLA. The two sat listening to another of Beca's mixes. Chloe parked her car and walked Beca back to the building. She turned toward Beca, taking Beca's hands in hers, and leaned in. Beca jumped back a little.

"I'm sorry. Too much?" asked Chloe, looking concerned.

"I...just..." Beca stammered. She took a deep breath. "I've never kissed anyone," she said quietly. "I'd never actually been on a date before tonight." Beca could feel herself blushing.

"You don't have to."

"I want to, but...I might suck."

"I'm sure you won't."

Beca took another deep breath and relaxed when she saw the kind smile on Chloe's face. She smiled back and said, "Okay."

Chloe leaned in, planting a chaste kiss on Beca's lips. Beca swore she felt fireworks. She smiled back at Chloe, her grin widening when she saw a huge smile on Chloe's face.

"How did I do?" asked Beca.

"Great. Can we-" Beca leaned in toward Chloe this time, kissing her before she could finish her question. She felt Chloe lightly stroke her hair while she held the kiss, causing a moan to escape Beca's mouth. She pulled back and blushed, embarrassed at her reaction. She was met with another kind smile from Chloe.

"This was really nice. Can we go out again sometime?" asked Chloe.

Beca nodded enthusiastically. "I'd like that. Text me?"

"Totes."


	6. Chapter 6

 

Beca walked back up to her dorm room in a bit of a daze. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. It was her first real date, and she hadn't messed it up. She'd even kissed her...twice! Chloe had been so patient with her. Maybe coming out of the closet was a good idea. Nobody had bothered them if they'd noticed they were on a date, and if someone had noticed two girls kissing in front of the dorm building, they hadn't said anything Beca could hear. She thought about it as she entered her dorm.

She walked in to see her roommate sitting on the bed, drinking directly out of a bottle of vodka. She was watching a movie Beca didn't recognize.

Amy slurred something at Beca she couldn't understand.

"What?"

Amy mumbled something back, but the only word she could make out was "date."

"My date was great if that's what you're asking."

Amy nodded and mumbled something Beca didn't understand.

"Ames, you know I can't understand you when you're smashed."

Amy made an inappropriate gesture, something Beca assumed meant she was asking if she'd gotten laid.

"Gross, Amy. None of your business."

Amy giggled to herself and went back to watching the movie. Beca rolled her eyes, lowered the volume on the TV, and got ready for bed. She placed her phone on her nightstand and plugged it into the charger.

She climbed into bed, rolling so she was facing away from the TV and pulling the covers over her face. She hoped Amy would quiet down soon so she could get some sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Beca awoke to hear a crash and a voice with a thick Australian accent say, "Oh, shit!"

Beca sat up in bed, turned on her light, and saw that Amy had knocked her phone off the nightstand, shattering it.

"Amy, what the hell?"

Amy didn't answer, continuing to stumble around the dorm.

"You broke my phone!"

Amy continued to ignore her, climbing into bed. Beca was furious. She didn't have the money for a new phone. She hoped she'd be able to get Amy to pay for a new one.

* * *

The next morning, Beca tried to talk to Amy.

"Amy, you broke my phone."

"Doesn't sound like me."

"I heard you stumbling around the room around 2 am, and my phone is shattered. It woke me out of a dead sleep."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"You were drunk."

"Maybe, but I woke up in my bed, so..."

"Amy, come on. Take some responsibility."

Amy did that weird humming thing she always did when she wasn't going to answer.

Beca knew she wasn't getting anywhere with her that morning. She grabbed her things and headed to the dining hall in hopes of getting something decent for breakfast. She managed to grab the last plate of French toast.

She headed to her first class, stopping by her dad's office on the way. "Dad, I need a new phone."

"Good morning to you, too, Beca."

"Sorry. Good morning, Dad."

"What's this about a new phone? Sheila and I just got you one when you graduated high school, and now it's not good enough?"

"No, Dad. It was great, but now it's shattered."

"What?"

"My roommate was-" Beca paused. She knew if she told her father that her roommate had gotten drunk, he'd report it since Amy was underage. "She broke it."

"Then she should pay."

"I've tried, but she won't even admit she broke it."

"Why not?"

Beca shrugged in response.

"Look, I'm not made of money. You need to save up your money and buy a new one yourself. Maybe you'll learn to be more responsible."

"But, Dad-"

"No 'buts', Beca," he said. "Now get to your Intro to Philosophy class. You're going to be late."

"I'm posing an important philosophical question. If I don't actually go to that class, will it still suck?"

"Beca!" he exclaimed. "Get to class!"

Beca turned on her heel and stormed out of her dad's office, grumbling the whole way.  _He leaves my mom and me, moves 1000 miles away, and he chooses_ now _to be a parent,_ she thought.

After her classes were done for the day, Beca headed back to her room. She looked through her stash of tip money she'd saved. Not only did she not have enough money for a new phone, but she also couldn't find the $20 bill with Chloe's number on it. She hadn't backed up her phone, so she no longer had a way to contact Chloe.

Fat Amy walked in, and Beca tried to talk to her roommate again. "Amy, about my phone."

Amy hummed again in response.  _Why does she think this is an acceptable response?_  Beca thought.

"Ames, seriously. It's ruined. I don't have the money to get a new one. Is there any way you can help?"

"Look, shortstack, I don't know what to tell you. Even if I  _did_  break your phone, I don't have the money for a new one."

Beca glared at Amy, too furious to respond.

"Come on, Beca. You know how we do that thing every month where I take $20 out of your purse, and you pretend not to notice?"

"Huh?"

"Exactly."

"Wait, did you take the $20 with Chloe's number on it?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry. I scratched out her number."

"Amy! First off, stay the hell out of my purse. Second off, that was the only place I had Chloe's number now that you broke my phone!" Beca shouted angrily.

"Can't you just get it from the iCloud backup?"

"The what?"

"Doesn't your phone do a backup every night?"

"Shit. I don't think I set that up. My dad and the stepmonster got me the phone for my graduation, and I just didn't bother."

"How did you not set it up?"

"I just kept hitting buttons until the stupid thing stopped asking me. I didn't know what that meant."

"You've had her number for weeks. It's not  _my_  fault you didn't back up your phone."

"But it  _is_  your fault my phone is ruined."

Amy did the humming thing again. Beca took her books and left, too angry to try and talk to her roommate anymore.

* * *

Chloe woke up Monday morning, smiling as she thought about her wonderful date with Beca. The tiny brunette was adorable, and Chloe was tickled to be the first girl she'd taken on a date and even more tickled to be the first girl Beca had kissed. Beca had been so awkward and adorable, and Chloe smiled again as she thought about it. She made her way to the kitchen of her apartment and got herself some breakfast, still smiling.

"Good date with the alt-girl, I take it?" Aubrey asked her as she walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, she's so sweet."

"Seriously? With the tattoos and the ear spike?"

"I think they're cute. You were there when I got my ladybug tattoo. Did I undergo some personality change when I got it?"

"Well, no, but that's you."

"You don't even know Beca."

Aubrey just shook her head at Chloe.

"I'll see you at rehearsal, Bree. I have an 8:00 class." She gave Aubrey a quick hug goodbye. She sent Beca a text as she walked to her car.

_C: I had a great time last night. When can I see you again? My treat this time._

Chloe smiled again to herself as she got in her car for the short drive to campus. She couldn't wait to hear back from Beca.

Chloe checked her phone repeatedly throughout the day, but Beca hadn't responded. She was very distracted at rehearsal that evening, earning angry looks from both Aubrey and Jessica.

"Okay, everyone, two-minute break!" called Aubrey. "Chloe, a word?" Aubrey and Jessica pulled Chloe aside.

"Chloe, what is with you tonight?" Aubrey asked, quietly. "You were so happy this morning. What did that tiny little alt-girl do?"

"Nothing," Chloe replied.

"So, why are you out of it?" asked Jessica.

"That's just it. Nothing," Chloe said.

"I don't understand," said Jessica, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"I texted her this morning, and she hasn't responded. I thought we'd had such a good time, but now it's radio silence. She seemed really excited when I asked her if we can go out again sometime."

"I told you not to give her your number," said Aubrey.

"I just don't get it. I felt so drawn to her, but now she's ignoring me. I thought she'd had a good time."

"Look, Chloe, you know I'd rather you didn't go out with her. But maybe she's just really busy. Try her again tomorrow. For now, though, you need to get her out of your mind. You're messing up the rehearsal," said Aubrey.

Chloe nodded. "Okay, Bree. Can you just give me another minute to get my head together?"

Aubrey squeezed Chloe's arm. "Sure."

"Okay, everyone, go to your places for 'Pure Imagination.' Let's make sure those formation changes are clean," said Jessica.

Chloe took a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts.  _Okay, back to rehearsal,_ she thought as she took her place for "Pure Imagination." It was tricky, but she managed to stay focused for most of the rest of the rehearsal.

* * *

Beca continued to be unsuccessful in her efforts to get her roommate to admit to breaking her phone, much less agreeing to pay for a new one. She'd try to talk to Amy about her phone, and Amy would either deny breaking it or pretend she couldn't hear Beca. She begrudgingly sat through her classes, wishing her father hadn't forced her to go to college.

She did, however, enjoy her a capella rehearsals and her QA meetings. The group had come up with a clever idea for National Coming Out Day, and she'd decided she was going to come out. Everyone had been so excited for her, and it helped distract her from the phone predicament.

* * *

 

As for Chloe, she'd been texting Beca daily, never receiving a response. Each day, she'd get even sadder. She wondered if her draw to Beca had been her imagination. She even tried calling a few times, only to get a message that said the voicemail hadn't been set up for that phone number. Maybe she'd read the signals wrong, and Beca had hated their date. Chloe wondered if she'd pushed Beca too hard with the kiss. Beca had initiated the second kiss, but maybe she'd regretted her decision.

It was Sunday, a week since Chloe's date with Beca, and the SoCal VoCals had just finished their rehearsal for the day. Jessica and Aubrey walked up to Chloe. "Chloe, want to go to the pier?" asked Jessica.

Chloe shook her head. "No. I'll just think of Beca. I don't know what I did wrong."

"I doubt you did anything wrong," said Jessica. "You sure you don't want to go? Maybe she'll be there and you can talk to her."

"I can't. If I see her, I'm going to break down in tears and embarrass myself."

"Awwww, Chloe. It won't be that bad."

Chloe's eyes began to sting with tears. "I can't," she said, beginning to sob.

Aubrey put her arm around Chloe. "Chloe, I hate seeing you like this," Aubrey said gently. "I don't know why Beca couldn't at least tell you she didn't want to see you anymore. What can we do to make you feel better?"

Chloe shook her head, still crying.

"Ice cream and movies, maybe?" asked Jessica.

Chloe nodded weakly. "Okay. I guess."

"I'll get the ice cream. Aubrey, why don't you take Chloe back to your apartment? Pick something on Netflix."

Aubrey handed Chloe a tissue. She walked her back to the car. "I'll drive. You're too upset." Chloe dabbed at her eyes with the tissue and wordlessly handed Aubrey the keys to her car. They drove back to the apartment in silence.

Chloe got into her pajamas and curled up on the couch next to Aubrey. Jessica arrived just as they were setting up the movie. She fixed Chloe a bowl of her favorite ice cream, complete with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and Swedish Fish – Chloe's favorite candy.

Aubrey chose the movie Trolls. "Chloe, this should help. It's seriously the happiest movie. There's glitter, rainbows, singing, the whole works. You'll love it."

Chloe quietly ate her ice cream as she watched the introduction. She had to admit it was cute, and she began to smile. However, as soon as the first song began, she started crying again.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" Aubrey turned Chloe to face her.

"It's...it's just..." Chloe hiccuped through her sobs.

"What?" asked Aubrey, brows furrowed in concern.

"Turn it off," Chloe whined.

"What?" asked Aubrey again, still confused. This was seriously the happiest, most "Chloe" movie she could have chosen. She stopped the movie like Chloe had requested.

"The pink troll. She sounds just like Beca!" Chloe began to wail.

Jessica and Aubrey looked at each other in total confusion. "Chloe..." Jessica began.

"She does!" exclaimed Chloe.

"Okay, okay," said Jessica. She and Aubrey couldn't stand seeing Chloe cry. She'd been a mess this whole week, but things seemed to have come to a head that day. She changed the movie over to Moana, hoping a Disney movie would help.

"Thanks," said Chloe. She gave a watery smile. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. Or with Beca. I'm just so confused."

Aubrey gave Chloe a squeeze, and Chloe snuggled up to her tighter. "I don't know what to say. Let's just try and watch the movie and relax. I really think you need to move on."

Chloe sniffled. "I'll try. Just please don't ask me to go back to the pier. I don't think I can do it."

"Okay." Chloe nodded off with her head on Aubrey's shoulder shortly after, having exhausted herself from crying. Aubrey and Jessica continued to watch the movie in silence. Chloe was still asleep when the movie ended.

"How about I order some pizza? Let Chloe sleep a little. She's had a rough week," whispered Jessica.

"Yeah, I don't think she's been sleeping much. I really wish that alt-girl hadn't done that to her. I mean, what's the matter with her?"

"I have no idea. I just hope Chloe doesn't lose it when we see them at semifinals. We're competing against Resonance, and I know she's going to lose it all over again if Beca gives her the silent treatment."

"That's a few weeks away. Hopefully, Chloe will have gotten over her by then."

Aubrey gently woke Chloe up when the pizzas were arriving. Chloe ate a piece of pizza in silence and then told the other girls goodnight. They didn't discuss the situation with Beca anymore. Chloe seemed too upset to have the strength to talk about it anymore.

* * *

It was Sunday, a week since Beca's date with Chloe, and Beca still didn't have a phone. Amy still wouldn't admit to having broken it, and Beca had given up trying.

Beca was at Santa Monica Pier again, having arrived earlier than usual. She was hoping to get some more tips so she could buy herself a new phone. She began to sing, looking around for that gorgeous mane of red hair that belonged to Chloe. She was so mad she hadn't backed up her phone. She hoped she'd see Chloe again so she could explain the situation.

She began her first song, Bulletproof by La Roux.

 _Been there, done that, messed around_  
_I'm having fun, don't put me down  
_ _I'll never let you sweep me off my feet_

 _I won't let you in again_  
_The messages I've tried to send  
_ _My information's just not going in_

 _Burning bridges shore to shore_  
_I'll break away from something more  
_ _I'm not turned on to love until it's cheap_

 _Been there, done that, messed around_  
_I'm having fun, don't put me down  
_ _I'll never let you sweep me off my feet_

 _This time, baby, I'll be_  
_Bulletproof_  
_This time, baby, I'll be  
_ _Bulletproof_

A lot of audience members clapped appreciatively, tossing money into the tip hat. She looked around, getting excited when she saw a head of red hair. Unfortunately, when she saw the face that belonged to the red hair, she was disappointed to see it wasn't Chloe.

She continued her performance that way the whole day. Two more times she'd gotten excited to see red hair, but none of those heads had belonged to Chloe.

She got back to her dorm that night, counting her tips. Despite having done her performance longer than usual, her tips hadn't been any better. She was sure she'd lost some of the spark to her singing due to how sad she felt about losing contact with Chloe. She added that to the money she'd already acquired, and she barely had a third of the cost of a new phone. It was going to take forever.

"I'm never going to get a new phone at this rate," Beca complained out loud.

"You know, you could just sing more at the pier," said Fat Amy.

"In between classes and Resonance rehearsals?"

"You said yourself you don't even want to go to class," said Amy.

This gave Beca an idea. She was going to go to her father's office again the next morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Beca grabbed breakfast at the dining hall and headed to her father's office as she'd planned. Her dad was alone in his office, so she walked right in.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hi, Beca. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my daughter again so early in the morning?"

"Dad, I really need a new phone. I don't have enough money for a new one."

"Beca, I told you I wouldn't buy you a new phone. Do you think money grows on trees?"

Beca sighed, avoiding the urge to roll her eyes. "That's such a 'dad' line. If you won't get me a new one, then I'm just going to have to go to the pier and sing for tips. And I'll be doing it instead of going to my classes. I'm posing a new philosophical question. 'Will that class suck less if I skip it and earn money at the pier instead?'"

"Beca."

"Dad, I'm not kidding. I'll skip class to get tip money. Besides, you don't want me stranded somewhere with no way to call for help? You know payphones aren't really around anymore, right?"

"Beca..."

"Whatever," she replied. She began to leave the office, frustrated that her idea hadn't worked. "So,  _now_  he's going to be a stern parent," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

"You heard me. You left Mom and me, moved 1000 miles away, and you're choosing  _now_  to be a stern parent."

Beca could see her father looking at her for any sign she was kidding. She wasn't. She hadn't meant to say that to him, but it was how she felt.

"Beca," he began, his features softening. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have made a better effort."

"I'll say," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Look, I'll replace your phone this time. But if it breaks again, you're on your own. And if you purposely fail out of college, I'm not supporting you."

It wasn't exactly what Beca had hoped he'd say, but she figured it was the best she could get. And, really, college wasn't so bad. She'd made friends. Her dad's suggestion of joining a club had made things a lot easier. She couldn't believe she'd joined two clubs, but she genuinely enjoyed both of them.

"Okay."

"Why don't you join us for dinner at the house tonight? You haven't been there since the week you moved to campus. We can get you a new phone afterward. Besides, Sheila would like to see you."

"The stepmonster?"

"Beca..."

"Sorry," she said with a smirk. "I can't help but get a kick out of that nickname. I guess Sheila isn't so bad. I'll take a cab down to your place after rehearsal."

"How about you meet me in my office once you're done? I'll drive you to the house and then drop you back at your dorm."

"Okay. We finish up at 6:30. I'll take a quick shower and meet you at 7. I'd better go now. I need to get to my philosophy class." She gave her dad a quick hug and headed to class.

* * *

That evening, Beca was at her dad's office at 7:00 sharp. He was finishing a conversation with a student, so she waited patiently outside. At 7:05, she heard him bid his student goodbye. He shut the door to his office and greeted his daughter with a hug.

"Ready?"

"Yup," she answered, giving her dad a smile. They walked to the car in silence.

"Sheila's really excited you're coming over tonight. She's making mac and cheese," he began as they got into the car.

"Sounds good."

"That's still your favorite, right?"

"Of course."

"Just checking. I really am sorry I didn't spend as much time with you after your mom and I split."

"You're the one who moved so far away," said Beca. She saw her dad's pained expression and softened. "Sorry, that was mean."

"It wasn't how I'd planned things. The job at UCLA opened up right after we separated, and I couldn't resist the opportunity. I should have tried harder to spend time with you, but you shut me out."

"It was just easier that way."

"It's also really lonely. I've missed you."

Beca reached over and gave her dad's hand a squeeze. "Well, I'm here now."

Dr. Mitchell smiled back at her. "Yes, you are." He parked in front of his house. The two of them walked into the house. The man greeted his wife with a peck on the lips. Sheila went to hug Beca and pulled back, not sure how to proceed. Beca surprised her stepmother and herself by putting her arms out for a hug. Maybe Chloe's hugging habit had rubbed off on her, which was a little weird because they'd only been on one date.

"Hi, Sheila," said Beca. "Dinner smells good."

"Thanks." She took Beca's jacket and hung it in the hall closet. "Everything should be ready in a few minutes. What would you like to drink?"

"Just water," she answered. "A capella rehearsal makes me really thirsty. Alice insists on way too much cardio." She walked into the kitchen. "I'll get it myself."

"About that," her dad said. "When is your next performance?"

Beca grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it. "Semifinals are in a few weeks at USC. I don't remember the exact time. Why?"

"Sheila and I would like to watch. Is that okay?"

"You really want to go?"

"Of course."

"Okay, I'll find out exactly when and where and let you know."

"Great. We're looking forward to it," he said and Sheila nodded. "How's the...QA?" he asked awkwardly.

"Oh, it's good," she replied. She could see her dad was trying to be supportive. "I really like all the people. It's great to be around people who understand me. We're doing something special for National Coming Out Day."

"Are you going to come out?"

Beca nodded. "Yes. I've decided to come out. We'll be on the quad at noon that day," she said. "Would you and Sheila like to watch?" she added slowly.

"You want us there?"

"Sure. Just don't make a big deal or anything. No crazy signs or embarrassing stuff. Just be there and support me."

"Okay, we'll make sure to go."

Sheila took the mac and cheese out of the oven.

"Wow, this looks so good," Beca said.

"It's the kind my grandmother used to make," Sheila replied. "Way better than the boxed stuff."

"Great," said Beca. Sheila set the dish on the table and began to scoop some out onto plates for herself, her husband, and her stepdaughter.

"Is that enough?" she asked.

"Sure. I can always get more. If it tastes half as good as it looks, I'm sure I'll be getting seconds."

Dinner was delicious, and Beca got seconds. The evening continued with an easy conversation between the three. Beca had never really taken the time to get to know Sheila, as she had still been angry with her father when he'd married the woman. Sheila was actually very sweet and funny. Beca saw how her father looked at the woman, and it made her heart smile. He'd never looked at Beca's mother that way, and it made Beca feel a bit more like maybe her parents really just didn't work well together. She'd had a hard time with the divorce, and her father's choice to move so far away hadn't helped.

Beca helped her dad and stepmother clean up dinner, and then she and her dad headed to the cell phone store. Beca chose a refurbished iPhone 7, hoping her father would be relieved that she hadn't insisted on something brand new and far more expensive.

"You're sure that's what you want?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's the same model you and Sheila got me for graduation. I don't need anything newer, and I don't care if it's used."

"Okay. Try to be more careful."

"Dad, it was my roommate. I'll keep the phone away from her, though." Her father chuckled. He'd never met anyone like his daughter's roommate.

"She's something else."

"Yeah, she is."

Dr. Mitchell got the attention of an employee. "We'll take this one," he said, gesturing to the model his daughter had chosen.

"Okay, we have used ones in rose gold and jet black. What color do you want?" asked the employee.

"Jet black," said Beca. She internally rolled her eyes. She was wearing almost all black, her eyeliner thick as usual, and her tattoos and ear spike were pretty obvious. Did she  _really_  look like someone who would have a pink cell phone?

The employee grabbed a cell phone from behind the counter and set it up to activate. He got the account information from Beca's dad.

"Okay, it's activated."

"Thanks," said Beca. "Can you pull up my records from the past two weeks? I didn't back up my phone, and I'm trying to find someone's number."

"I can pull up your records, but there was a glitch in the system last week. We lost almost two weeks of data. I can check, but I can almost guarantee we no longer have a record of text messages or calls received. The voicemail was down too."

"Can you please check anyway? It's really important."

The employee typed a few things into his computer. "I'm sorry, there's nothing. The last information I have tied to your number is from three weeks ago."

Beca felt her heart drop. How was she going to contact Chloe now? The only thing Beca could do was hope Chloe would call or text her so she could explain.

"Why didn't I back up my phone?" Beca asked herself out loud.

"You don't have it set up to back up to the iCloud?" asked the employee.

"I don't think I ever set up the iCloud."

"Let me check." The employee tapped a few things on Beca's new phone. "No, it looks like you didn't set it up. Do you want me to show you how?" asked the employee.

"Would that save my information for me?" asked Beca.

"Yeah, I'll show you."

"Thanks," said Beca. The employee helped her set up her phone to back up her information automatically every night.

"There. Your phone will automatically back up every night, as long as you're connected to the wi-fi."

Beca thanked him and left the store with her dad.

"So, what was so important for you to have?" Beca's dad asked her as they walked to the car.

"I...just started talking to someone. I didn't back up my phone and now I don't have her number anymore."

"Oh? And who is that?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Dad!"

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about her."

"Okay, okay. I do hope I get to meet her someday if you get back in touch with her."

Beca could only grumble in response.

"What's all this grumbling about?"

"I'm just mad at myself. If I'd just set my old phone up the right way the first time, I wouldn't have lost everything. Now I've probably lost her forever."

"You never know. Maybe you'll hear from her again."

"Not with my luck."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Well, for your sake, I hope you do. I had a great time with you tonight. We have a lot of lost time to make up. What do you think about doing this on a weekly basis?"

"I'd like that. Same time next week?"

"Sure. Meet me in my office again. I'll tell Sheila. I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

"Thanks, Dad. Good night!" Beca said as she exited the car and headed to her dorm.

* * *

Chloe woke up Monday morning, still feeling sad about Beca. She had to agree with Jessica and Aubrey, though, that Beca must not have enjoyed their date as much as they thought. It was really immature and rude of her to completely ignore Chloe, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She decided she wasn't going to text Beca anymore. She had a few weeks to figure out how to deal with seeing Beca at semifinals. She was torn between ignoring her, giving Beca a piece of her mind, and begging her for answers. She wanted to do one of the first two but figured the latter was the most likely result.

Chloe walked into the kitchen and grabbed herself a cup of coffee before finding something for breakfast. Aubrey was already seated at the kitchen table.

"Morning, Bree."

"Morning, Chlo. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for being there for me."

"That's what friends do. I hate seeing you so upset."

"I know. I just don't get it. I have decided to stop texting Beca, though. I must have misread something. I wish I knew what it was."

"It sucks, but you need to move on."

"I know."

Aubrey cleaned up her breakfast. "Okay, Chloe. I need to get to class. See you at rehearsal tonight!" Aubrey gave Chloe a quick hug before heading out.

Chloe had to make an effort to focus on her classes that day, but she was glad she had done so. She'd barely been able to focus the previous week. She knew she had to get over Beca and focus on her classes or she wasn't going to pass them.

At rehearsal that evening, everyone noticed Chloe had seemed much better, although not quite herself. Still, it was obvious that she'd been trying much harder.

Aubrey caught up with Chloe after rehearsal. "You seem better."

Chloe nodded. "I'm trying. It's hard, but I'm trying to make myself move on."

"I think it's for the best. Want to go get some dinner?"

"That's a good idea."

"The diner?"

"No, that's where-"

"Oh, right. Sorry. IHOP?"

"Yeah, that's good. Pancakes make everything better."

Aubrey and Chloe had a nice dinner at IHOP. They didn't talk much, but Chloe was happy with that. She didn't want to talk or even think about Beca anymore.

They headed back to their apartment, and each holed up in their bedrooms to catch up on studying.

* * *

The first thing Beca did when she got back to her room was to find a new place to charge her phone, somewhere that was hopefully safe from drunk roommate behavior. Beca was glad she'd gotten her new phone, but she was disappointed that she couldn't retrieve Chloe's number. She was kicking herself mentally for not backing up her phone more often. She still couldn't believe she'd made such a stupid mistake as not just setting up the iCloud backup on her phone.

Beca went to the housing department to request a change in dorm assignments, but the best they could do was change her room the following semester. She didn't want to report her roommate for underage drinking as she was guilty of this as well, something she was sure Amy wouldn't hesitate to mention the second she got in trouble. She decided she'd think about it before putting her name into the "freshman roulette" for the next semester, knowing she'd be in a pool of either incoming freshman or others who didn't like their roommate. Fat Amy was ridiculous in a lot of ways, the phone incident being the worst, but she wasn't sure if she could handle the idea of someone else. What if the new roommate was homophobic or something worse? She did believe, deep down, that Fat Amy really did mean well. She was just immature, and she probably wasn't used to having consequences for her actions.

Beca thought about asking her father if she could stay with him and Sheila for the rest of the semester, but she wasn't sure that would be much better. Her not having a car would also make things difficult for her as she'd have to rely on her father or Sheila to get her to and from campus. While her dad taught there, they had different schedules. She knew her father and Sheila would probably be willing to work out some arrangements to transport her, but she didn't want them to do that. She couldn't help but feel like she was being a baby and taking the easy way out if she asked to move in with them. Beca resigned herself to the idea that she was stuck with Fat Amy, at least for the rest of the semester.

Days had gone by, and she hadn't heard from Chloe. She hadn't seen her at the pier either. It was frustrating to not be able to contact her. She'd really enjoyed their date and was hoping to go out with her again.

"I've lost her forever," Beca lamented out loud in her dorm room one night.

"You mean the sexy redhead?" asked Amy.

"I thought you weren't into the ladies," said Beca.

"I'm not, but I'm not blind either," said Fat Amy. "You look at Chloe like she's brekky."

"What?"

"Brekky. You know, like she's eggs and bacon and-"

"You mean breakfast? I do not," Beca scoffed.

"Please, you look at her like I look at my boyfriends."

Beca rolled her eyes. Her roommate claimed to have all of these boyfriends, yet she'd never seen any of them.

"It sucks you had to break my phone the same damn time the stupid phone company lost the phone records."

"Still not  _my_  fault you didn't back up your phone or set up the iCloud."

"Still  _your_  fault that mine broke in the first place."

Fat Amy did her weird humming thing, something Beca hated because she knew that meant she wouldn't be getting any further response from her roommate. Fat Amy was so frustrating sometimes. It was going to be a long rest of the semester.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Don't hate me for this!

_A few weeks later_

It was National Coming Out Day, and Beca was both excited and nervous. She was excited because QA had a special event planned for right in the middle of the day, but she was also nervous because she'd decided she was finally going to come out of the closet. She was confident in her decision, but it was scary nonetheless. She was feeling a little queasy and hadn't had much appetite that day, but she figured it was nerves.

Beca met her fellow club members out on the quad. She'd helped them make a banner for National Coming Out Day, and she'd also made small flags to give to those who came out. They'd reserved flags for the members who'd decided to come out, but they'd also made lots of extra flags in hopes that it might encourage others to also come out. They'd made a lot of rainbow flags, but they'd also made flags in the bisexual pride colors of pink, purple, and blue, as well as the pansexual pride colors of pink, yellow, and blue. They had more materials in case they'd inadvertently missed a pride flag or ran out of a particular kind.

They placed a door in the middle of the quad. Beca had no idea where or how they'd gotten the working door, but she thought it was a cool idea. Members planning to come out lined up on one side of the door while the others – people who were already out, those who didn't want to come out that day, as well as supporters – were seated on the other side. Her father and stepmother were there as well as her roommate, but they were standing off to the side, wanting to leave room for the QA members. There were a couple people seated at a table with the banner taped so everyone could see. A couple other people were handing out flags.

At noon, they began the event. Beca was the first. She walked through the door to the applause of the people on the other side. She smiled and said, "I'm Beca Mitchell, and I'm gay!" She grabbed a rainbow flag, hugged her dad and stepmother, high-fived her roommate, and joined the rest of the members to support the others who were coming out. Beca was still mad at Fat Amy, but she appreciated her support. She continued to watch the other people come out of the closet, applauding and smiling. She noticed her stomach still hurt, a little worse than it did earlier, even after the hard part was over.  _Maybe I'm coming down with something,_  she thought.

About fifteen minutes later, she felt a sharp pain on the lower right side of her abdomen, causing her to double over and cry out in pain. Her father and stepmother immediately ran to her side. Sheila motioned for those sitting near Beca to give them some room.

"OWWWWW!" Beca screamed, tears in her eyes. She turned her head away from everyone and vomited on the grass.

"Beca, can you show me exactly where it hurts?" asked Sheila. She was an ER nurse at a nearby hospital.

Beca pointed to the right side of her lower abdomen. "Right here, and it's really bad."

"Does she still have her appendix?" Sheila asked Dr. Mitchell.

"She does," he replied.

Sheila put a hand on Beca's forehead. "She's burning up. I'm pretty sure that's appendicitis. Somebody call an ambulance!" exclaimed Sheila.

"I'm on it," said Fat Amy.

"Beca, did this just start?" asked Sheila.

"I felt a little queasy this morning, but I thought I was just nervous. After I came out and sat back down, I felt a little worse and thought maybe I was coming down with something. The pain wasn't really bad until just now."

"I thought you felt a little warm when I hugged you."

The ambulance arrived after what seemed like five of the longest minutes. Beca's dad, stepmother, and roommate accompanied her in the ambulance. Beca was restless and fidgeting from the pain.

Beca was taken immediately back to the ER at the hospital where her stepmother worked. She was running a fever and still in a lot of pain, so they started medicine quickly. Fat Amy and Dr. Mitchell stayed with Beca while Sheila spoke to the nurses and explained what had happened on the quad.

Beca calmed down when the medicine started to kick in. "That's better," she said, giving her dad and roommate a weak smile. The medicine was making her sleepy. "I'm just going to close my eyes now." She began to drift off when the doctor walked in.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Grey," said a young female doctor.

"Hi," said Beca, still sleepy.

"Who's here with you?"

"Fat Amy, Sheila, and my dad."

"Would you like any of them to step out while we talk?"

"No, they can stay."

"Your stepmother said you have pain here," she said, pointing to the lower right side of Beca's abdomen. Beca nodded. She began to apply pressure, and Beca winced when she let go. "I think Sheila's right. We'll run some bloodwork real quick to confirm. I'm going to book an OR in the meantime. If it's appendicitis, that appendix needs to come out." Dr. Grey left to find a nurse.

"Thank you, doctor," said Dr. Mitchell, looking at his daughter worriedly.

"It's okay, Francis," said Sheila. "Meredith Grey is one of the best surgeons here. She'll take great care of our girl."

Beca smiled at Sheila's comment. She'd really taken a liking to Sheila recently, and she was treating Beca like she was her own. Another nurse came in to take blood to confirm Sheila and Dr. Grey's suspicions. "I'm going to sleep now," she said. The pain medicine was making her really drowsy.

"Go ahead, sweetheart. We'll be here," her dad said as he took her hand. Beca's eyes shut and her breathing evened out.

"I need to call Alice. Beca and I obviously won't be making it to semifinals," said Fat Amy.

"Amy, you can head over to the performance if you want. We'll stay with Beca," said Dr. Mitchell.

"No, I'd rather stay with Beca."

"Are you sure? I know what a big deal the group is."

"Yeah, but I'm Beca's best mate."

Before Dr. Mitchell could question this, Dr. Grey came in. "It's appendicitis. Her white blood cell count is elevated. I'm having her prepped for surgery."

"Should we be worried about the elevated white blood cell count?" asked Beca's dad.

"It's a sign of infection, but we're going to take care of it."

"Thanks."

A team came in to prep Beca for surgery. They woke Beca up asked her and her dad a bunch of questions about her medical history and then whisked her back to the OR.

Dr. Mitchell, Sheila, and Amy headed to the waiting room. Dr. Mitchell called Beca's mom to fill her in while she was in the OR. She promised she'd catch the next flight into LAX. Shortly after the phone call ended, Dr. Grey came in to give the three of them the good news.

"She came through beautifully. You got her here before her appendix burst, so it was simple. She'll have a scar, but only a small one. I'll keep her here for at least a night or two, but then she can leave."

"Thank you so much!" exclaimed Dr. Mitchell. "When can we see her?"

"I'll have someone come and get you when she's in recovery, which should be soon."

Dr. Mitchell called his ex to give her the update that Beca was safely out of surgery. She told him she was already at the airport waiting for her flight and she'd be in that evening. He offered to let her stay in his spare room, but she'd already booked a hotel for herself.

Fat Amy turned to Dr. Mitchell. "I wanted to say I'm sorry about Beca's phone. I broke it. It was an accident. I was fighting with one of my boyfriends, and I was drunk."

"What? How old are you, Amy?"

Amy hummed to try and avoid answering, but Dr. Mitchell wasn't having it. "Amy, answer me."

"19."

"You know you're underage, right?"

"It's legal in Australia!"

"You know it's not legal here," he replied. Amy gave a sheepish nod. "Why didn't you help pay for a new phone?"

"I didn't have the money. I had to leave Australia to escape my dodgy father. I can barely afford college here."

"Your what?"

"My father. He's always got some scheme, and this time I had to get away before he dragged me down with him. Don't tell anyone named Fergus Hobart who I really am. My real name is Patricia."

"Okay," replied Dr. Mitchell. He wasn't sure what she could be talking about. "You know I'll have to report you for underage drinking, right?"

"If you do that, they'll kick me out of school and send me back to my dodgy father."

"He can't be that bad."

"He hid C4 explosives in my cereal box, and he smuggled drugs in my favorite stuffed bunny, Sir BounceALot. I had to see him get torn apart by customs agents right in front of me!"

Beca's dad looked at his daughter's roommate's face for any sign she was lying, not finding one. "Okay, okay. I won't report you, but I expect you to do something to help pay me back for Beca's phone. Those aren't cheap, even if you get them used."

Amy hummed again.

"Amy, that might work on Beca, but it doesn't work on me," said Dr. Mitchell.

"Doesn't work on me either," said Sheila. "I could use some help getting the house clean, especially the weeks I'm on night shift."

Amy groaned. "But I'm allergic to housework."

"I could just report you," said Dr. Mitchell.

"Right. Housework. Better than going back to my dodgy father."

Just then, a nurse walked into the waiting room. "Hi, everyone. Beca's awake and in bed three. I'll let Sheila show you the way."

"Thanks," said Sheila.

They walked into the recovery room and saw Beca sitting up in bed, looking groggy and trying to take small sips of water.

"Hey, shortstack, how are you feeling?" asked Amy.

"Tired. Sore. But better, I guess."

"I called Alice. Everyone in Resonance sends their love."

"Amy, you stayed?"

"Yeah, I couldn't do that while I worried about you."

"Thanks. Is Alice mad?"

"No. Denise and CR had told her what happened on the quad. It's not like you got appendicitis on purpose. She's kind of annoyed with me for staying with you, but whatever." Just then, Fat Amy's phone dinged with a text. "Hey, Beca, it looks like we're going to the finals! We got second place behind the SoCal VoCals!"

Beca managed a weak smile. "That's good." Beca thought to herself and decided it was time to forgive her roommate. She had been really sweet to skip the competition and stay with her, so it was probably best she just let things go.

"Hey, sweetheart," said Dr. Mitchell.

"Hi, Dad."

"Dr. Grey said they got your appendix out before it burst. You're going to be fine. Your mom's flying in tonight."

"Thanks for calling her. I miss Mom."

Sheila walked over. "Hey there." She took Beca's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Thanks for helping," she said.

"Anytime. It's good to see you feeling a little better."

After a while, they moved Beca out of recovery and into her own room. Amy caught an Uber back to campus, and Dr. Mitchell left to pick up Beca's mom. Sheila stayed to keep Beca company.

"Here, Beca. They brought dinner."

Beca looked up. "I'm not hungry."

"It's just clear liquids."

"Not now. I'm tired." Beca laid back.

"Beca, please try. You need your strength."

Beca took a few sips of the soup and some juice before pushing it away. The plain chicken broth was gross, and she was a little nervous about putting something into her stomach, even though it didn't really hurt anymore. "Maybe I'll have more a little later."

"Okay. We'll try a little every so often." Beca nodded.

"I'm going to lay back down now." She laid back in her hospital bed and tried to get some rest. The anesthesia was still making her drowsy. She was asleep when her Mom arrived an hour later.

Sheila greeted Ellen, Beca's mom, with a silent wave. She put her finger to her lips and gestured toward Beca.

"She's been out for almost an hour," she whispered.

"Francis told me what you did. Thanks for helping her," whispered Ellen.

"Of course. I care a lot about her."

"Why don't you and Francis head home? I'll stay with her for a while."

"Okay. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything." Ellen nodded and took a seat by her daughter's bed, taking her hand in hers. Beca didn't stir.

* * *

Back at USC, the SoCal VoCals were getting ready to perform. Chloe was looking around, hoping to see Beca.

"Chloe, she's not here," said Aubrey.

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. I know who you're looking for," said Aubrey. "I saw Resonance. Beca isn't there, and neither is her roommate. What was her name again?"

"Fat Amy."

"She calls herself Fat Amy?"

"Beca told me she said it was so others don't do it behind her back, except apparently, Amy didn't put it quite so eloquently," said Chloe. She spotted Resonance. As Aubrey had said, Beca and Fat Amy weren't there. "I should go over there and ask where they are."

"Chloe, don't."

"But..."

"Chloe, stop. You finally have stopped looking so sad all the time. Just let it go. Besides, we're up next. I can't think of anything anyone in Resonance can say that would make you happy. You'll mess things up for everyone if you're upset."

Chloe took a deep breath. "Okay, you're right. I have to focus on our performance. Maybe I can try talking to someone after we're done."

"Chloe, don't."

The group went out and gave another one of their amazing performances. As soon as they began, Chloe was totally focused on the singing and dancing. The group had the audience engaged, and they were proud of themselves when they were done.

They were just taking their seats in the audience when Resonance went up to perform. They performed the same set they'd done before but with different soloists. They looked good, and at the end of the evening, Chloe wasn't surprised to find out they'd only beaten Resonance by five points again. Both teams would be going to the finals in a few months. Chloe was proud of her group, but her excitement wasn't as high as it normally was. She'd tried to keep Beca out of her mind, but she hadn't been as successful as she'd hoped. She wished she'd gotten some sort of closure. She wanted to try and talk to someone in Beca's group, but Aubrey had her convinced it wasn't worth her time.

* * *

Beca woke up to find her mother by her hospital bed, holding her hand. "Mom? When did you get in?"

"A couple of hours ago. You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you."

"You could have."

"No, you've been through enough. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore."

"Do you want me to call a nurse to get you some medicine?"

"No, I'm okay."

"Did you eat?"

"I managed some broth. It's kind of gross."

"I don't blame you there. But you need something. Why don't you try some more juice?"

Beca took a few sips of apple juice.

"Feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I just don't want to push it."

"Okay," said her mom. "How are things otherwise?"

"Good," she said. "I came out today on campus. Although that wasn't much before I doubled over in pain from this." She gestured to her stitches. "I was with QA, so it wasn't so scary."

"Is that the LGBTQ club you were telling me about?"

"Yeah. It's nice not to feel so alone."

"So, I guess college isn't as bad as you thought."

"I guess not."

"How's the singing on the pier?"

"Okay. People seem to like my singing. No recording contract, though."

"What about the a capella group?"

"I missed today's competition, but they're going to the finals. It's a fun group of people. I always thought a capella was lame, but it's really fun."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. When and where are finals?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll let you know if you want to go," she said. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for flying down to see me." Beca yawned. "But, you should go get some rest. I'm tired and I think you'll be more comfortable in a real bed."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to call your dad or Sheila?"

"I'm sure. I just want to sleep."

Ellen gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Okay, honey. Please just call me at any hour if you want me to come back, okay?"

"I will."

"And don't be shy about asking the nurses if you need something."

"I won't. 'Night, Mom."

"I'll see you in the morning, Beca."

Beca slept fairly well for being in a hospital bed. She was poked and prodded and had her vital signs taken every few hours, and she was annoyed at being woken up every time. She was doing well otherwise, only having had to ask for pain medication once.

* * *

The next morning, the doctor let Beca try and eat something a little thicker. She was relieved to see food she could actually stand to eat on the breakfast menu, but she hoped she could keep breakfast down. The doctor told her if she could keep solid food down by the evening, she could leave.

She was sitting up in bed eating her yogurt when her mom, dad, stepmother, and roommate came in. She smiled when she saw her visitors.

"You're looking better," said her dad. Her mother and stepmother nodded in agreement. A lot of the color was back in her cheeks.

"Your dad asked me to bring you a change of clothes," said Fat Amy, showing her a bag of clothes.

"Thanks," said Beca.

"Don't worry, I left the sexy knickers in your drawer," Amy stage-whispered. Beca could only blush in response. She seriously hoped Amy hadn't found some of the more embarrassing items in her drawers.

"Did they let you sleep?" asked Sheila.

"In between pokes and prods," said Beca.

"Yeah, I hate bugging people when I'm on night shift."

"I tried to keep the grumbling to a minimum," Beca said with a bit of her smirk back.

"Anything hurt?" asked her mom.

"A little, but it's not bad. They said if I can keep solid food down by the evening, I can leave."

"That's a good sign."

"Yeah. I'm already feeling a little restless, so I'll be happy when they let me out of here."

"I've talked to your professors, and they're going to cut you some slack this week," said her dad.

"Thanks."

"Would you like to come back with me to the hotel if they let you out tonight?" asked her mom.

Fat Amy spoke up before Beca could answer. "Oh, I can take care of you!"

"No, Amy! I mean, that's not necessary," she said, not wanting to upset her roommate. She wasn't sure her roommate would be capable of taking care of a pet rock if she had one, let alone someone recovering from surgery. "I'd like to stay with my mom. I haven't seen her since I left for college."

Beca was more alert throughout the day, and she was able to get up and walk around a little. She let Sheila help her, figuring the nurse would be best equipped to help her. She was pleased to see her parents actually getting along. Her mom and Sheila even appeared to be joking around. It was strange, but in a good way.

Fat Amy left after Beca had eaten lunch, but her parents and stepmother stayed most of the day. Her dad and Sheila told Beca how Amy had finally admitted to breaking Beca's phone and that they'd managed to get her to work off her debt by helping Sheila with housework. Beca wasn't sure Fat Amy would actually be helpful, but she decided it was best to let her dad and stepmother figure that out for themselves. She sent her dad and Sheila away before dinner, wanting some more alone time with her mom. Her mom walked her around the hospital as Beca wasn't very wobbly anymore.

Beca was able to eat normal food for dinner, and when an hour had passed without her having any nausea or vomiting, she was discharged. Her mom contacted everyone to let them know she'd be taking her to the hotel for the night. They'd discuss what to do after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The Coming Out Day event is similar to what the one queer club we had at my old college did one year. It wasn't as obvious what they were doing (people were walking through the door and others were applauding while the onlookers were completely confused), so I made the QA have a banner and some pride flags.
> 
> Also, I got a lot of my information from Google on appendectomies, so please excuse me if I made any glaring mistakes. I needed to throw in a solid reason for Beca to miss semifinals. I had Amy stay with her to make it tougher for Chloe to feel like she could ask where Beca was as well as give Beca a reason to forgive Amy.


	9. Chapter 9

It was the morning after the semifinals, and Chloe was still pining over Beca as she sat in the kitchen with Aubrey over breakfast. "I really wish you hadn't talked me out of asking the group where Beca was," said Chloe.

"Maybe she quit the group. Her roommate wasn't there either."

"I guess, but she seemed to genuinely like the group. She said so on our date."

"Are you sure she wasn't trying to get into your pants?"

"Aubrey!" exclaimed Chloe, horrified at the accusation.

"I'm just saying..." Aubrey trailed off.

"Aubrey, seriously. She didn't even get into my pants anyway."

"Really? You seemed  _awfully_  happy after your date."

"It was just a wonderful date. We kissed twice, but that's it. I swear. She told me she'd never even been on a date before that night. She was so adorable, and kind of awkward. But, she was awkward in a cute way. I recall you telling me that you and Sta-"

"Chloe, enough about my one drunk hook-up!"

"I'm just pointing you that you did  _way_ worse that one time. I swear I didn't sleep with her. You know I would have told you if I had."

"Okay, I believe you," said Aubrey, remembering Chloe's habit of oversharing when it came to her sex life. "But I still don't understand why she cut off contact with you."

"Me neither. I'm trying to get past it, but I'm having a hard time. I just don't get it. I should text her again."

"Chloe, don't."

"But..."

"Seriously, you're going to embarrass yourself. You should just delete her number."

"I can't."

"Fine, but if you call or text her, I'm doing it for you."

Chloe rolled her eyes. She was sure she had enough self-control to stop. Before she could say anything further, Aubrey's phone buzzed on the counter with a text. Chloe glanced at the text preview, grinned, and handed the phone to her friend, unable to hide her snicker.

"Just that one time, Aubrey?"

Aubrey turned red as she saw the text but said nothing.

"Care to explain why someone named Stacie just texted you about Netflix and chill?" said Chloe with a raised eyebrow.

"She likes movies."

Chloe rolled her eyes again. "Sure she does. And I'm the queen of England. Come on, everybody knows that 'Netflix and chill' has nothing to do with watching movies."

Aubrey sighed. "Fine. It wasn't just that one time. We've been hooking up off and on ever since then. We just text one another when either of us needs to blow off steam, no strings attached."

"And  _you're_  giving  _me_  a hard time about pining over Beca? At least she and I went on a real date."

"I don't get all bent out of shape when Stacie doesn't respond to me."

"Does that happen?"

Aubrey tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment. "I don't know that it actually has."

"So, you don't actually know how I feel then, do you?"

"I guess I don't. Please just promise me you'll give it some thought before contacting Beca again. I really don't want to see you hurt."

"I'll think about it. If I am going to text her, I'm only going to do it one more time. I need to make it good."

"I have no idea what you see in that alt-girl."

"You just can't get past the tattoos and ear-spike."

"It's not that. Stacie has tattoos and piercings. They're just not where others can see them," said Aubrey, her hand flying to her mouth. She hadn't meant to tell Chloe that.

"Oh?" asked Chloe.

"It's none of your business," Aubrey said quickly. She turned serious. "Chloe, I'm just worried. I've never seen you as upset as you were when Beca cut off communication. I don't want her to break your heart."

"I know. Something just tells me I need to give her one more chance. I can't explain it any more than I can explain why I feel so drawn to her."

"You're sure it's not just because she sang your lady jam?"

"I already told you it wasn't. She could have been singing 'I'm a Little Teapot' and it would have had the same effect," said Chloe. "I promise I'll do everything I can to just drop it if I don't hear back from her. I really feel like I need to contact her."

"If you're sure. I feel like we've just begun to get 'Happy Chloe' back and I don't want her to go away."

"She might never totally come back if I don't give this one more shot," said Chloe. "So, this thing with Stacie really is 'no strings attached,' is it?"

"Yeah."

"And, if she wanted it to be something more?"

"I wouldn't say no."

"Have you thought to ask her about that?"

Aubrey looked down at her lap. "I've thought about it. God, she's incredible."

"Does she know you think that?"

"I haven't said those exact words."

"Aubrey, you owe it to both of you to give this a shot. I think I know you well enough to know that you can't just hook up with someone for  _years_  without some feelings."

Aubrey sighed. "You're probably right, but I'm scared. It was just supposed to be a hookup, but then we started hooking up more and more often."

"Hey, I'm scared to contact Beca again. Let's both contact our girls. Maybe this could be a happy ending for both of us. I wouldn't be surprised if Stacie feels the same way about you."

"What if it's not?"

"Then I guess Jessica is going to have to bring us both a lot of ice cream and sit through a ton of movies. Just...maybe not Trolls this time."

Aubrey took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll call Stacie. Maybe I can take her on a real date." She headed toward her bedroom for privacy.

"I'm going to work on a text to Beca."

* * *

Ellen brought her daughter to the hotel. They got changed into pajamas and got comfortable. They flipped through some cable channels when Beca screamed, "Oh my god, Mom!"

"What's wrong?" her mom asked, alarmed.

"Oh, I'm okay. Sorry. Hand me the remote, please." Beca flipped back a few channels. Bushwick was on.

"The girl on the screen with the long blonde hair looks just like this girl I met. Well, the girl I know is a redhead, but she looks just like her otherwise. She has the same gorgeous blue eyes."

"A girl?" her mom asked, intrigued. She wasn't used to Beca talking to her about girls.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Chloe. I swear she looks just like her. It's uncanny."

"Tell me about Chloe. Is she your girlfriend? This is the first I've heard about her."

Beca told her mom the whole story about meeting Chloe, leaving out the part that Beca had been drunk off her ass when she'd initially called to ask Chloe on a date. She told her about their date, her excitement about her first kiss, and then the misfortune of her phone being broken by her drunk roommate.

"So, I guess she hasn't texted or called you?"

Beca shook her head. "If she did, she stopped before I got my new phone."

"Sorry, honey. Do you think you'll see her at finals?"

"I'll most likely see her, but that doesn't mean she'll want to talk to me. She probably hates me by now," Beca grumbled.

"All I can tell you to do is try and explain what happened. If you two are meant to be together, you'll know it. Things have a way of working out the way they're supposed to."

"I just wish I knew what that was. I've never felt this way about anybody, and it's killing me that we're not talking. Maybe things aren't meant to be if we keep missing opportunities to talk."

"I don't know. She sounds wonderful, and I hope things work out. I'd love to meet her."

Beca's mom gave her arm a squeeze. The two of them watched the rest of the movie.

"That movie was crazy. The hot girl who looks like Chloe was pretty bada-, I mean tough." Beca's mom smirked at her daughter. She was impressed that Beca had caught herself before cursing in front of her.

"I wasn't expecting that ending, though," said Ellen.

Beca's mom had her take some medicine and tucked her in. Beca would normally have reminded her mom that she wasn't a little girl anymore, but it was nice to have her mom take care of her again. She really missed her mom. She called and texted her a lot, but it wasn't the same as seeing her every day.

As Beca was curled up in her bed, she heard the text alert chime. "Hey, Mom, who is that from?"

Beca's mom glanced at her phone. "I don't know. It's just a number."

"Can you hand it to me so I can see?"

Beca took her phone and unlocked it with her thumbprint. She'd turned off text previews after a certain nosy roommate of hers had developed a nasty habit of reading her text previews one day while Beca had been in the shower.

Beca's hand flew to her mouth as she opened her messaging app, gasping when she saw the message. "Oh my god, Mom!" Beca exclaimed for the second time that evening.

"What's wrong, Beca? Who sent you a text?"

"It's from Chloe."


	10. Chapter 10

_C: Hi. I know we haven't talked since our date, but I wanted to reach out to you one last time. I don't understand why you haven't talked to me. I thought our date was wonderful, and I'm really confused as to why I haven't heard from you. I was hoping to talk to you at semifinals last night, but you weren't there. What happened? If you don't want to see me anymore, please just tell me. I feel like I deserve to know if I've done something wrong._

"What do I do, Mom? She thinks I don't like her."

"Just explain what happened."

_B: It's so good to hear from you. I'm so sorry about everything. It's too long a story to text. Can we talk soon? I promise I have a good reason. You haven't done anything wrong. I'd prefer to talk in person._

_C: I'd like to talk. When will you be available?_

_B: I'm not exactly sure. My mom is in town and I'm staying in a hotel with her for a few days._

Realizing her pain medication was kicking in, Beca quickly sent another text before Chloe could respond. The medicine usually knocked her out pretty fast.

_B: Going to bed. Good night, Chloe. So glad to hear from you. I'll text you tomorrow._

_C: Good night._

Beca was shocked to have finally heard from Chloe. She was glad Chloe would be willing to talk. She fell asleep soon after sending the last text, hopeful that she'd get another chance.

* * *

Chloe looked at the time. It was only 9:30.  _Maybe Beca isn't feeling well_ , she thought. That would explain why she hadn't been up for talking right away and possibly why she hadn't been at semifinals.

She knocked on Aubrey's door.

"Come in!" called Aubrey.

Chloe walked in to see her best friend smiling. "So, judging by the smile on your face, I guess things went well?"

"Yeah, Stacie and I had a good talk. She'd also been interested in something beyond a hookup, but she'd been afraid to ask me. Thanks for the push."

"Anytime," said Chloe.

"So, did you hear from Beca?"

"Yeah, she responded. I'm not sure what's going on, though. She said I hadn't done anything wrong, but she wants to talk in person."

"That's all she said?"

"She mentioned her mom is in town and she's staying with her for a few days, but she cut the conversation just after that."

"That's strange, but I guess it's at least okay news."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll give her a couple days and then maybe I'll check in with her again," said Chloe. "So, when are you and Stacie going out?"

"Tomorrow. I don't even know what she has planned."

"You're letting  _her_  plan things and not tell you what they are? Who are you and what have you done with my control freak best friend?"

"She was so excited, and I can't say no to Stacie."

"That's exactly what started this whole thing with her," Chloe said with a wink.

"If that's what it was, then I'm glad I can't say no to her!" Aubrey said, laughing.

* * *

Chloe was thrilled to get a text around 8:30 that morning.

_B: Morning, Chloe. Sorry I cut things off so quickly last night._

_C: Morning. U ok?_

_B: Haven't been feeling my best, honestly._

_C: Is that why you weren't at semifinals?_

_B: Yes. Can we meet today? You can see me at the hotel or my mom can drive me somewhere. I'd rather talk in person._

_C: I would like to meet today. You're not contagious, are you?_

_B: No. Promise. I wouldn't ask to meet up if I was._

_C: Where are you staying?_

_B: Comfort Inn on Santa Monica Blvd. Room 412._

_C: 10 am in your room ok?_

_B: Yeah. Thanks for agreeing to see me._

_C: Sure._

Aubrey walked into the kitchen to see a smiling Chloe.

"I got another text from Beca this morning. She said she hasn't been feeling well, and that's why she missed the semifinals. It's probably why she cut things off last night. I'm going over to her hotel room this morning. She's adamant that we talk in person."

"Oh my god, Chloe, you're so naive. She just wants to get into your pants.  _Sure_  she's staying in a hotel room with her mom."

"Aubrey, stop. I  _told_  you Beca hadn't been on a date before me, and she hadn't kissed anyone. I doubt this is a ploy to sleep with me. Besides, the hotel room was my idea. She offered to have her mom drive her somewhere to meet me."

"I can't believe you're falling for that. The awkward and adorable thing you think she has going for her has got to be a front."

"It's not."

"Whatever you say. I still think she's going to be tearing your clothes off the minute you set foot in that hotel room. Don't come crying to me if she hurts you again."

"You don't even know her, and do I need to remind you of how things started with Stacie?"

"Well, that's different."

"How?"

"She's not some little street performing alt-girl."

"No, she's a leggy brunette you met at a party. You played spin the bottle, made out with her, and then disappeared for the night."

Aubrey turned red at the memory. It had been so many years ago, and she and Stacie had been hooking up almost on a regular basis since then.

Chloe continued. "Besides, Aubrey, I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions, and I don't need your approval. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get dressed so I can meet Beca."

Chloe walked out of the room, leaving Aubrey in stunned silence.

* * *

Beca smiled at their text conversation. Chloe had agreed to meet her. She was surprised Chloe wanted to talk in their hotel room, but she was relieved that she wouldn't have to ask her mom to take her somewhere. She was still sore from the surgery, and she didn't have much of an appetite.

"It's good to see a smile on your face," Ellen said to her daughter as she came out of the bathroom. "I take it Chloe texted you back this morning?"

"She did. She's coming here at 10 so we can talk."

"Do you want me to make myself scarce?"

"I don't know. I guess."

"Think about it. Are you feeling up to breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Do you want me to bring you some toast and maybe a drink from the breakfast buffet?"

"Yeah, I think that would be okay. I just hope I don't throw up all over Chloe!"

"Is your stomach bothering you again? Should I call the doctor?"

"No, I'm just a little nervous."

"It will be okay, honey. I know you think she hates you, but she wouldn't have texted you if she did. She definitely wouldn't have agreed to come here either. Did you tell her anything?"

"Just that I haven't been feeling well. I'd rather explain the long, involved story in person."

Ellen gave her daughter's hand a squeeze. "I'll be back up shortly with breakfast. Why don't you take a quick shower and get dressed? Just remember to try and keep those stitches dry. I'll help change the bandages once I come back up."

"Thanks, Mom." Beca took her time taking a shower. It was the first one she'd taken since the day she'd had the surgery, and she felt pretty gross. She was just stepping out of the shower when she heard her mom coming back to the hotel room. When she heard the door to the hallway shut, she wrapped a towel around herself and called her mom into the bathroom.

"Hey, Mom, I just got out of the shower. Can you help with my bandages?"

"Sure." Beca's mom changed the bandages after looking quickly to make sure the incision looked okay. "There. All set."

"Thanks." Beca put on a clean t-shirt and a pair of clean sweatpants and dried her hair as best as she could with the hotel blow dryer. She pulled it back into a ponytail. She didn't have any makeup with her, but she hoped she looked okay.

She sat at the small table in the room and ate her toast.

Around 10:00, she heard a light rap on the door. She opened it, and her lips broke into a huge grin when she saw Chloe.

"It's so good to see you!" Beca exclaimed. She sort of expected a hug, but she got a tight smile from Chloe and a small wave instead.

"Hi, Beca."

"Hi, I'm Ellen Mitchell, Beca's mom. You must be Chloe."

"It's nice to meet you," said Chloe, shaking her hand.

"Do you know the actress in Bushwick looks like a blonde version of you? Beca saw it when we were flipping channels and she-"

"Okay, Mom, that's enough," Beca said, not wanting her mother to tell Chloe about her reaction to seeing the Chloe look-alike on TV.

"Oh? Do tell," said Chloe, grinning like a Cheshire cat at Beca.

"Maybe later," said Beca, blushing. "My mom was just leaving, right?"

"Message received. Text me if you need anything," said Ellen. She grabbed Beca's plate and cup on her way out of the room.

"Bye mom," called Beca.

Beca led Chloe to the table and chairs in the room. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

"When I got back to my room after our date, my roommate broke my phone. I lost your number, Chloe. I'm so sorry. I really wanted to talk to you again. I loved our date. I didn't mean to hurt you. I even tried contacting my cell provider, but they had a system glitch that meant they couldn't pull up the information. Anything sent while I was without a phone just disappeared. Voicemails were down too. I never set up the cloud backup, so the number was just gone. I didn't have enough money to pay for a new one, and it took me a little over a week to convince my dad to help me out," said Beca. She was so relieved to see Chloe that she ended up just rambling out the whole story once she finally had her chance.

"I guess that's why I couldn't leave you a voicemail the two times I tried calling you. So, if I'd just texted or called you again sooner, we'd have gone on another date?"

"Yeah, unless, of course, you didn't want to. I'd still like to go on another one unless you're seeing someone. Oh god, are you seeing someone? Because it's okay if you are, but I really hope-" Beca couldn't believe she was still rambling. She felt like such an idiot.

"Beca, relax. I'm not seeing anyone," said Chloe.

Beca smiled. "Okay, that's good." Beca's face had a worried expression again. "So, can you forgive me?"

"Yeah. I wanted to text you earlier, but Aubrey had me convinced I shouldn't."

"Why is that?"

"She said I was being pathetic, and she tried to get me to move on. I tried, but I just couldn't. I've felt drawn to you since I heard you singing at the pier. I don't know why, but I just felt like you were special and my heart wouldn't let me give up on you."

"I really am sorry about my stupid phone breaking. I wanted so badly to see you again, but I didn't know how to contact you. I really, really appreciate you giving me another chance."

"Tell me you have my number saved now."

"I do. I had someone show me at the store when I got my new phone. It backs up every night, and I saved you in my contacts."

"That's good. Don't worry too much about Aubrey. I'll handle her. She's just protective of me, sometimes to a fault. So, what happened with semifinals? You said you haven't been feeling well?"

"Yeah. Shitty day. I came out on campus with the QA for National Coming Out Day. I'd had stomach pains most of the day, but I thought they were nerves. Well, they weren't. Long story short, I no longer have an appendix."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, Fat Amy even missed the performance because she was worried about me. That was what made me finally forgive her for breaking my phone."

"Was your captain mad?"

"Amy said she was mad at her, but not at me. I haven't talked to her, actually. I just got out of the hospital yesterday. My mom flew down to see me, and she brought me here when I got discharged. Neither one of us wanted me to stay with Amy alone while recovering from surgery. I have no idea what she would have done, but it definitely wouldn't have been helpful."

"So, are you feeling better?"

"I am. You caught me last night right after I took my pain medication. It made me sleepy, so I cut off the conversation real quick. I probably look awful today. It's been rough."

"You look cute."

"I'm not cute. I'm badass!"

Chloe laughed so hard she snorted. "Sure you are."

"I  _am_ ," said Beca. She glanced down at herself. "Okay, maybe not in sweats, a damp ponytail, and no makeup."

Chloe reached across the table and grabbed Beca's hand. "So, maybe after finals, we can go on that date? I want you to be recovered first. I don't know about Resonance, but we have quite a few more rehearsals when it's closer to finals."

"We probably do as well. I think that's a good idea. I'll keep in touch before then. I promise I won't lose your number this time!"

Chloe smiled. "I hope not." She glanced at her watch. "I should get back. I've got to get to rehearsal."

Beca stood up and began to walk Chloe to the door. "Okay. Thanks for coming to see me."

"I'm glad I did. Before I go, there's something I want to do."

"What?"

"This," said Chloe, putting her right hand up to cup Beca's cheek. She planted a soft kiss on Beca's lips. Beca felt her knees go weak as she sighed into the kiss, loosely wrapping her arms around Chloe's neck. God, she'd missed this. She'd only kissed Chloe twice, but it had been magical.

The two girls were interrupted when they heard the hotel room door open. "Oops, sorry!" said Ellen, shutting the door.

Beca turned red as she broke the kiss. "My mom's timing sucks," she said.

"It's okay," said Chloe. "Bye, Beca." She walked out the door and called, "Bye, Mrs. Mitchell!"

Ellen walked back into the hotel room. Her daughter was still blushing. "So, I guess things went well?"

"Yeah," said Beca. "We're going to go on a date after the ICCA finals are over."

"How was the kiss?"

"Mom!"

"You are so easy to embarrass."

Beca folded her arms. "Stop."

Ellen tousled her daughter's hair. "Just messing with you. I'm glad you worked things out with Chloe. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Thanks. So, do you think this is how things were supposed to work out?"

"I sure do."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Throwing this chapter out early because I am hosting Thanksgiving and I have too much to do the rest of this week!

Chloe stopped at the apartment on her way to rehearsal. She was hoping to be able to talk to Aubrey before rehearsal. She had been upset about how Aubrey had spoken about Beca, but she felt bad about upsetting her. It wasn't any more fair of Chloe to make fun of how things had started with Stacie. She found Aubrey eating lunch in the kitchen.

"Hi," said Chloe.

"Hi."

"I saw Beca."

"Was I right? Did she try to get into your pants?" asked Aubrey.

"No. She missed the semifinals because she got her appendix out. She's still recovering."

"What?" asked Aubrey.

"Her mom had flown into town when she was in the hospital. She's staying with her mom in the hotel room until she's well enough to go back to the dorm. It's not like her roommate would be any help," said Chloe.

"Oh," said Aubrey. "But that doesn't explain why she stopped talking to you after the date."

"Her phone broke."

"A likely story. And you believe her?"

"Yes. She was genuinely sorry. She hadn't set up the cloud backup, and the cell phone company had a glitch and lost the records. By the time she got a new phone, she didn't have my number."

"Oh my god, did she spend the $20 bill with your number on it?"

"Maybe. I mean, it was a pretty generous tip," said Chloe with a shrug.

"I hope your number isn't out there in somebody's wallet," said Aubrey, making a face.

"Me too. Well, I haven't gotten any weird calls or texts, so it probably isn't."

"You definitely need to ask her. That is if you're going to talk to her again."

"I am. We're going to wait until after the ICCA finals, though. We have a lot of rehearsals coming up, and I'd rather take her out when she's feeling totally better."

"That sounds good."

"I'm sorry I made fun of how you got together with Stacie. That was a bit of a low blow. I was just tired of you giving me a hard time about Beca. I know I took it hard when I thought she was intentionally not talking to me, but you really need to trust me to make my own decisions. I'm an adult. Hell, I'm barely a year younger than you. I already have two parents, and I also have a big brother. I appreciate you trying to help, but you're being way too judgmental of Beca. You've really only met her once, and you judged her by her tattoos and ear spike."

"I'm sorry. I really don't have much room to talk, considering how things began with Stacie. I'll try and give Beca a chance. But if I find out she lied about the broken phone or the appendectomy, I'm giving her hell!"

"I'm sure she didn't lie about either one. She was so sweet and genuine."

"I hope you're right. Let's head to rehearsal. We'll take my car," said Aubrey.

* * *

Once Beca had recovered well enough to return to classes, Resonance met in her dorm. The doctor wanted her to take a few more weeks off from any strenuous physical activity. She'd told Beca she could sing at rehearsal, but she was to refrain from choreography. The group had decided to meet in Beca and Fat Amy's dorm room to go over videos from the semifinals as well as the quarterfinals. They could compare soloists and see where the group needed polishing, and Beca could take it easy while still feeling like part of the group.

Alice set up the video from the quarterfinals first. Fat Amy had been a clear crowd pleaser for "Bad Romance," and Beca had poured a great deal of raw emotion into "Praying." There had been a few missteps in the choreography, but the group had done well overall.

The group then watched the video from the semifinals. CR had delivered "Bad Romance" with a lot of soul – very different from Fat Amy's rendition of the song. Ashley had done well with "Praying," but the group almost unanimously agreed that Beca had delivered the song with far more emotion. The decision was easily made to give Beca the solo to "Praying," but they were divided on who should have the lead for "Bad Romance." Comparing the performances was like comparing apples and oranges, each one had its strengths and weaknesses.

"I don't know how to decide. Any ideas?" asked Alice.

"We could have a sex contest," said Fat Amy. "I bet I can get more guys than CR can get girls because I have so many boyfriends."

The rest of the group simply looked at Fat Amy in shock.

"Okay, any  _good_  ideas? Maybe something that doesn't involve anyone acting like a slutbag?" asked Alice.

"How about a game of Drunk Uno?" asked Fat Amy. "You're going DOWN, Cynthia Rose!"

"Excuse me?" asked CR.

"Oh, it's on!" exclaimed Fat Amy.

The whole group cheered while Alice stood in disbelief. She had wanted to have the competition involve singing, not drinking.

Beca grabbed the Uno game from her bookshelf while Amy opened their small fridge, revealing a full case of beer.

"Where are you getting all the beer?" Alice asked Amy.

"My boyfriends like to buy it for me," replied Amy. Alice raised an eyebrow, but Fat Amy didn't respond.

"Okay, I'll deal and make sure you guys are following the rules," said Beca. "I can't drink while I'm recovering anyway. Those who want Fat Amy to have the solo will drink when she drinks, and those who voted for CR will drink when she drinks."

"So, everyone's drinking?" asked Alice. "Why can't it just be those two?"

"Because it's less fun that way. Besides, I have vodka for when we run out of beer," replied Fat Amy, pulling two bottles and some plastic shot glasses out from under her bed.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever. Just keep the noise down so we don't get caught. We're definitely going to get suspended if we get busted for underage drinking," she said with a sigh. "I'm not drinking, though. We need at least one more sober person to keep this under control." She earned some groans from the other members of Resonance, but she ignored them.

Beca said, "Okay, the rules are as follows:

\- Drink when your player has to draw a card, two if it's from a 'Draw Two' card.  
\- Drink when your player is skipped, which is either the 'Skip' or the 'Reverse' card since we only have two players.  
\- Take two drinks when the other player plays a 'Wild' card, four if it's a 'Wild Draw Four' card.  
\- Take a drink when the other player yells Uno.  
\- If your player yells Uno incorrectly, take two drinks.  
\- The winner of the game gets the solo. If either player passes out or pukes before the game is over, they automatically lose."

Beca played some music on the stereo while the game went on in hopes of helping drown out the noise from the drinking game.

Beca dealt the cards. After a brief game of rock-paper-scissors, CR went first. It was a few turns before Fat Amy had to draw a card.

"Fat Amy's team, drink!" exclaimed Beca.

The game continued. CR laid down a "draw two" card, followed by a reverse and a skip card. "Okay, that's four drinks, Fat Amy's team," said Beca.

A lot of "Fat Amy's team" was getting tipsy at this point, but Amy seemed unfazed.

A few turns continued, and then Fat Amy hit CR with two "Draw Two" cards, followed by a "Wild Draw Four" card.

"Eight drinks, CR's team!" called Beca.

This made CR's team empty their beers. Beca brought CR another beer, and the rest of her team helped themselves to what was left of the beer, some members ending up with vodka.

CR seemed tipsy after this, bordering on drunk. "Good thing you called red, bitch. Take this!" yelled CR, earning a side eye from Alice for being too loud as she dropped two "Draw Two" cards onto the discard pile.

"Four drinks, Amy's team!" called Beca, not as loudly. This relieved the rest of Amy's team of their beers, her entire team was forced to switch to vodka at this point.

Amy finally seemed tipsy. Play continued for a few turns, and Fat Amy giggled drunkenly when she laid down a "Wild Draw Four" card, hollered "The color is blue! UNO!" and then laid down her last card.

Beca said, "Amy wins, fair and square."

"I can't do five more drinks anyway," said CR, looking a little green.

"Congratulations," said Alice. "Now, everyone, clean up. If Beca and Amy get caught with alcohol, we're all taking the fall."

The group groaned, but everyone helped gather the empty beer bottles, vodka bottle, and plastic shot glasses into a trash bag. Alice took the trash with her since she was old enough to drink and wouldn't get in trouble if anyone saw her with empty alcohol bottles.

Fat Amy fired up the sixth Sharknado movie after everyone had gone.

"Come on, Amy. I can't drink yet. I don't want to watch a Sharknado movie, and that's the most ridiculous of the bunch. Time travel? Whatever," said Beca.

Fat Amy ignored Beca and just stared at the screen, grabbing a bag of chips and popping them into her mouth.

"I'm going to bed," said Beca. "Those movies are only good when you're drunk." Beca was tired anyway, so she was easily able to block out the sounds of the movie and her drunk roommate and fall asleep after making sure her phone was out of the way of her drunk and possibly stumbling roommate.

* * *

Chloe spent the evening relaxing. She felt the happiest she'd felt in a while. She spent some time working on a paper for her Russian Lit class and then watched Netflix in her bedroom. She found Bushwick, and she agreed the actress did look a lot like her. She was surprised she had a celebrity doppelganger. She still wondered what Beca had stopped her mom from saying and made a mental note to ask her later.

The movie was just ending when her apartment door opened and she heard a thud. She walked into the living room to find Aubrey pushed up against their front door. Stacie had one hand under Aubrey's shirt and the other up Aubrey's skirt and they were kissing in a manner that was way beyond PG. Chloe cleared her throat.

"Hi, Chloe," said Stacie with a smug smile as she not so subtly removed her hands from under Aubrey's clothing. Aubrey was bright red.

Chloe said, "Good date, I take it?"

"Oh yeah," said Stacie. Aubrey wouldn't meet Chloe's eye.

Chloe snickered at her very embarrassed roommate. "I'll let you two get back to what you were doing. Just lock the front door, please. I'll be in my bedroom with my headphones on," she said, winking at Aubrey.

"I'll remember this the next time you say something about Beca wanting to get into my pants," she whispered into Aubrey's ear as she made her way into her bedroom.


	12. Chapter 12

****_Three weeks later_

It was the ICCA finals at The Beacon Theatre in New York, and Beca was nervous. She wasn't sure the group was making the right decision to give her back her solo, but she wasn't going to argue either. She'd learned the choreography to the other numbers before semifinals, but she hadn't performed them in competition before that night. Even though she'd talked to Chloe frequently via text, she still had butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing her again. Chloe was incredible, and she felt like the redhead was way out of her league.

Beca was doing vocal warm-ups with her group and practicing choreography. She was trying not to think about Chloe and focus on the competition. Her dad and Sheila were there, and her mom had been able to fly in for the performance as well. None of them had seen her perform with the a capella group before, and she was hoping to make them proud. She knew that they'd be proud no matter what, but she really wanted to do her best. She also hoped she'd impress Chloe. She'd been trying to focus on everything except Chloe, but the woman was still taking up a lot of her thoughts.

* * *

Chloe was just as nervous as Beca. She'd won the ICCA finals several times with her group, but this was her senior year, her last time performing in ICCA competition. She was happy she'd been texting Beca again, and she was super excited to see her in person again. Beca had told her she'd been cleared for normal activity again a week earlier, so Chloe was excited to see Beca participate in the choreography this time.

Jessica went over the order of the performance with the group. Their performance was immediately before Resonance. Chloe was excited. Aubrey noticed immediately and pulled Chloe aside.

"Please don't distract yourself by talking to Beca if you see her."

"But, Aubrey-"

"I'm glad you two are talking again, but I know you. You get distracted by her texts. If you talk to her in person, the next thing we know, you'll be locking lips with her instead of singing on stage."

"Like you wouldn't be doing the same thing or worse if Stacie were backstage."

"She's in the audience, and I told her I'd see her after our set was over so I could focus."

"That's your decision. I really want to see Beca before we perform. I just want to wish her good luck, and I know I'll be happier if I can see her just for a minute."

"Chloe..."

"Aubrey, we talked about this. I'm making my own decisions. Oh, I see her now!" Chloe began to walk toward Beca.

"Aubrey, she's right," said Jessica as she walked toward the two women. "Let her go see Beca. You've been too rough on her." Aubrey said nothing, but she kept her eye on Chloe and Beca. She was still worried things were going to go south, even though Chloe had seemed much happier since she'd resumed contact with Beca.

Beca was facing away from Chloe, so she thought she'd surprise her. She walked up to her, snaked her arms around her waist, and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Hey, beautiful."

Beca smiled at the sight of the redhead. "Hey. It's so good to see you," said Beca as she turned her head and planted a chaste kiss on Chloe's lips.

"Your first ICCA finals, and my last one. Pretty exciting!"

"Yeah." Beca turned to face Chloe and locked eyes with her. She was leaning in for another kiss when she heard Aubrey calling.

"Chloe, we're on in two minutes," called Aubrey.

"I guess I should get back. Good luck," said Chloe, giving Beca a quick hug.

"You too," said Beca. Both girls were glad they'd gotten to see each other before performing, even though it had been for less than a minute.

* * *

Jessica wanted to give the group a last-minute pep talk.

"Okay, SoCal VoCals, this is what we've been working toward. It's Aubrey's, Chloe's, and my last a capella competition, so let's go out there and show them what we've got!" exclaimed Jessica.

The group pumped their fists in a silent cheer, not wanting to disturb the group on stage. As soon as the other group was done, they grabbed their microphones and hit the stage.

Beca watched backstage as the SoCal VoCals performed their set. Chloe was pouring her heart and soul into the performance again, and Beca was mesmerized by the beautiful woman. She looked amazing.

"Knock it off with the 'heart-eyes', Beca!" Fat Amy's comment startled Beca back to reality.

"What?" said Beca, pretending she had no idea what Amy was talking about, but the blush she could feel creeping up her face gave her away.

"I know you're watching Chloe. You gotta think about your solo."

Beca sighed. "Yeah, I know. She's just so gorgeous. I can't help it."

Alice walked up to the two of them. "Okay, you two. We're up soon. Don't fuck up those solos!"

"Way to give a pep talk, Alice," said Beca, sarcastically.

"Resonance, you're up," Benji told the group. They took their microphones and set up for their first song.

The group set up for "Bad Romance." As soon as Beca's row turned forward to face the audience, she immediately caught Chloe's eye. She shot her a quick grin and then smiled bigger when she saw Chloe wink back. She was elated and thankful that her solo was the final song because the wink from Chloe broke her concentration for a split second. Luckily for Beca, this occurred as Fat Amy was stepping onto the stage to begin her solo. She continued with the rest of the song, thrilled that she'd managed to remember the choreography in the presence of the redhead. The audience cheered when they finished the song, and Beca was glad Amy had won the solo, albeit by luck and Uno strategy.

Jesse was amazing at his solo for "Billie Jean." Beca was pleased with herself for making sure she was in the right place when he finished the song since the two would again be the leads for the mash-up of "Praying" and "Fools."

Beca and Jesse lead the mash-up with a lot of emotion, and they were proud of themselves when it was done. They weren't sure they'd managed to beat the SoCal VoCals, but they'd delivered a really good set. Beca knew she wouldn't be hearing from Alice that she or Amy had fucked up their solos.

* * *

As the group made their way into the audience, Beca walked straight toward Chloe.

"Hey, Chloe."

"Hey, Beca."

Beca glanced around. She wasn't much for PDA's, and she really wanted to give Chloe a kiss like the ones she'd been missing for weeks. "Can we go somewhere a little more private?"

"I'd like that," Chloe replied. She led Beca out of the auditorium and into the back corner of the lobby. Very few people were walking around, and it was probably the closest thing to private they could get.

Beca put her arms around Chloe and leaned in for a kiss when she was interrupted by Aubrey.

"What do you think you're doing, hobbit?"

"I was trying to give Chloe a kiss before you interrupted us for the second time. Did you follow us?"

"I didn't want to see Chloe get hurt. She was really hurt when you didn't text her back, and I didn't want to see that happen again," said Aubrey.

"Bree, stop," said Chloe. "I thought we'd agreed that you were going to back off."

"I got this, Chloe," said Beca. She turned to Aubrey. "I already told Chloe what happened. The night of our date, my roommate broke my phone."

"A likely story," Aubrey said, glaring at Beca.

"No, it's true," said Fat Amy. "I'm her roommate, and I'm the one who broke her phone."

"Amy? When did you get here?" asked Beca.

"I spotted that one on the warpath," Fat Amy replied, jerking her thumb at Aubrey. "If looks could kill, you'd have been dead before I got here."

"Thanks," said Beca. " _Now_  do you believe me?" she asked Aubrey.

Aubrey turned to Fat Amy. "You really broke her phone? Why? How?"

"It was an accident. I was fighting with one of my boyfriends that night, and I got wasted. I was stumbling around the room in the middle of the night, and I knocked over Beca's phone. I couldn't buy her a new one because my dodgy father stole all my money."

Aubrey and Chloe just looked at Fat Amy.

"Trust me, it's not the weirdest thing she's said. It's best to just go with it. And, yes, she broke my phone," said Beca. She went on to explain what she'd already told Chloe about the broken phone, the lack of cloud backup, and the cell phone provider glitch. She even mentioned the appendectomy, offering to show Aubrey her scar. She was relieved when Aubrey took her word for it.

"What happened to the $20 bill with Chloe's number on it? Did you  _spend_  it?"

"That was me," said Fat Amy. "You see, Beca and I do this thing where-"

"No, we don't," said Beca, cutting off her roommate. "Fat Amy  _thought_  we did this thing every month where she took $20 out of my purse, and I pretended not to notice. Anyway, I found out she'd taken the $20 bill with Chloe's number on it. I was furious."

"I scratched out your number, Ginger," said Fat Amy.

"You what?" asked Chloe.

"I didn't want anyone calling Beca's crush," said Fat Amy.

Aubrey looked at Fat Amy, noticing she was dead serious. She softened when she finally realized she may have been a little too rough on Chloe and far too judgmental of Beca. "Sorry. To both of you."

"Thanks," said Beca. Chloe nodded.

"We need to get back. They're going to announce the winner soon," said Aubrey.

"Come here a sec," Beca said to Chloe. She grabbed Chloe's shirt and pulled her in for a kiss. She put her other arm around Chloe's neck as Chloe kissed her back.

"Okay, lovebirds, break it up," said Fat Amy. "You can do more of that on your date."

* * *

The four women headed back into the auditorium and sat with their respective groups. The announcer revealed that first and second place had been split by a mere two points. The SoCal Vocals had won, with Resonance a close second!

Beca found her parents in the audience after the groups had collected their trophies. She was receiving congratulatory hugs when her mother looked beyond Beca and said, "Hi, Chloe."

Beca turned around and grinned. She hadn't expected Chloe to come back to her in the audience. She'd figured Chloe would be celebrating with her a capella group and would talk to her later. She gave Chloe a hug, took Chloe's hands in hers and said, "Hi. Didn't expect you to come back just now."

"Oh, they can wait a minute or two. I wanted to see you again."

Beca's dad put his hand out and said, "Hi, Chloe. I'm Dr. Francis Mitchell, Beca's dad."

"It's so nice to meet you," Chloe said, shaking the man's hand.

"I'm Beca's stepmother, Sheila," said her stepmother as she shook Chloe's hand.

"So, Beca, how do you and Chloe know each other?" asked her dad.

"Chloe and I went on a date a while ago. That was the night that Amy broke my phone. I'd lost Chloe's number, and that was a lot of the reason I was so upset about it. She texted me the night I got discharged from the hospital, and I'm so glad she gave me another chance. We talked for a bit, and we'll get to have that second date when we're back in LA."

Dr. Mitchell said, "Well, I'm glad you two will have that second date. It's nice to see Beca happy."

Fat Amy called over to Beca. "Come on, shortstack, we're going to go celebrate our second place finish!"

"I guess I should go," said Beca. She turned to her parents and stepmother. "Do you want to catch up for breakfast in the hotel tomorrow?" All three nodded.

Beca turned to Chloe. "I'll text you later, okay?"

Chloe gave Beca a chaste kiss, causing the younger girl to blush. "Sounds good."

* * *

Chloe headed to the restroom, knowing she wouldn't likely get a chance once her group got to partying. She walked in and found Stacie and Aubrey leaving the same stall. Stacie wore the same smug expression she'd worn when Chloe had caught her pushing Aubrey up against the door to their apartment.

"Nice to see you again, Stacie," said Chloe with a smirk on her face.

"Hey, Chloe," said Stacie.

Aubrey began. "Stacie was just helping me with-"

Chloe cut her off. "Save it, Aubrey. This is the second time I've caught you and Stacie either just before or just after doing it. And this is a public restroom, might I add. I don't want to hear another word about Beca."

Aubrey nodded dumbly and left the restroom with Stacie. Chloe couldn't help but laugh. There was no way Aubrey would dare say another thing about Beca. She wouldn't even let her finish the sentence if she tried.

Beca and Fat Amy were in their hotel room after celebrating with the group when Beca's phone dinged with a text.

_C: Hey, beautiful, I have a question for you._  
_B: Shoot._  
_C: What kind of phone do you have?_  
_B: iPhone 7, why?_  
_C: What size?_  
_B: The normal one. Why?_  
_C: Just wondering. Text me when you're back in LA, ok?_  
_B: Will do. Good night!  
_ _C: Good night!_

"What was that all about?" asked Fat Amy.

"That was Chloe. She wanted to know what phone I had."

"Why?"

"Got me."

* * *

_Two days later_

Beca and Amy were back in their dorm. Beca had gone to the mail room to grab her mail, and she'd brought Amy's as well.

"Hey, Amy, this is from a bank in the Cayman Islands," said Beca, handing Amy an envelope. "It looks important."

"I never open my mail," she said, tossing it onto a pile on her desk.

"You never open your mail?"

"No."

"So, you don't have any idea why a bank in the Cayman Islands would be sending you something?"

"Dunno. I get something from them every month. I don't pay attention to it."

"You do know none of this is normal, right?"

"You don't get mail from there?"

"No. You should open it."

"I guess," said Amy with a shrug. She opened the envelope. "This must be that bank account my mom set up for me on my thirteenth birthday. She said it was just a bit of allowance. She said she didn't want me to ever need my dad's dirty money."

"Can I see?" asked Beca. Amy handed her the bank statement. Beca did a quick search on her phone to check the value in US dollars. "Amy, this is a lot of money. According to Google, it's the equivalent of about 180 million American dollars!" Beca did another search on her phone. "And it's about 248 million Australian dollars. That's more than a bit of an allowance."

"Why did I never learn to open my mail before this?" asked Amy.

"Uhhh...Amy. Since you're rich now, you should probably pay my dad back for the phone he bought me."

"No, I worked that debt off!"

"Not according to my dad or Sheila. The day you were supposed to clean the kitchen, you refused because Sheila was roasting a chicken. You told her she was just going to mess the kitchen up again when she carved it."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And my dad said you claimed to have sprained your ankle every time you had to vacuum. You even switched feet one time, and when he called you on it, you claimed one foot caught it from the other."

"But, I-"

"Dad and Sheila said having you around was more trouble than it was worth, so they told you the debt was paid off."

"Oh," said Amy. "I guess you're right."

Beca called her father with the good news. He was glad his daughter's roommate was going to pay him back for the phone.

"So, for how many months did you take $20 out of my purse?" asked Beca.

Amy began to hum, earning a glare from Beca. "Amy, stop."

"Fine," said Amy. "It was about three months. I stopped after I broke your phone."

"So, you're going to pay me back?"

"Yeah. Sorry."


	13. Chapter 13

Beca and Chloe set up their date for the first Saturday evening after they'd arrived in LA. Chloe offered to pick Beca up at her dorm building again, something Beca appreciated since she didn't have a car on campus.

Beca waited outside her dorm building and she smiled when she saw Chloe walking up to her. Chloe greeted her with a hug and a peck on the lips, making Beca blush.

"Ready to go?" asked Chloe.

Beca nodded, still feeling a little shy from the kiss, earning a wide grin from Chloe.

Chloe took Beca's hand and walked to her car. "What do you think of bowling?" asked Chloe.

"Sounds like fun," replied Beca. Really, Beca was so glad that she'd been able to reconnect with Chloe and had been given a second chance, she'd have agreed to anything. She'd help Chloe alphabetize her spice rack if it meant she could spend more time with her. She enjoyed bowling, though. She had spent many Friday nights bowling with her friends in Seattle when she was in high school.

Beca plugged in her phone and played another one of her mixes as Chloe drove to the bowling alley.

"Is that Bust A Move I hear?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, it fits really well with 212," replied Beca.

"Another two tracks I wouldn't expect to sound good together. Are you a music major?"

"I'm undeclared. I really don't know what I want to do if I don't have a recording contract."

"You might want to think about it. This is really cool stuff," said Chloe.

"Thanks," said Beca. "It really is just a hobby, but maybe you're onto something."

Chloe parked at the bowling alley. She took Beca's hand and walked inside. "One lane and two shoe rentals, please. A women's 8, and..." Chloe trailed off, realizing she didn't know Beca's shoe size.

"Women's 6 ½," Beca finished for her.

Beca tried to pay, but Chloe swatted her hand away. "My treat this time." Beca nodded.

The two girls grabbed their bowling shoes and made their way to the lane. Chloe put their names into the score computer.

"Chloe, there's just one 'C' in my name," said Beca as she glanced at the screen.

"Oh, sorry, I'll fix it. I've always seen it with two C's."

"Yeah, I've had to spell it for people my whole life."

"So, do you spell Rebecca with one C as well?"

"It's just Beca, actually. I've also had to explain that one to people my whole life."

"Sorry," said Chloe.

"It's cool. It just didn't come up on our first date. I'm used to telling people, and I don't mind. Well, I did have one teacher in elementary school who insisted I was spelling my own name wrong, but my dad straightened that out."

"Really?"

"Yeah, weirdest first-grade teacher ever," said Beca, laughing at the memory. "She was shocked when my dad told her I'd been spelling my name correctly. He even offered to bring in my birth certificate. That shut her up."

"Wow," said Chloe. "That's nuts."

"I remember my parents having a lot of arguments with my teacher that year. Mrs. Abernathy-McKadden. She had a hyphenated name, and then she got married before the year was out. She just added the third name and we were supposed to call her by all three last names. It was so confusing."

"She must have been a real character."

"Yeah. First grade was definitely something I won't forget."

"Okay, Beca, you're up."

Beca went up to bowl.

"Oooo...you're a lefty!" exclaimed Chloe.

"Yeah. Come to think of it, my first-grade teacher tried to get me to write with my right hand until my parents put a stop to that one. I honestly have no idea why she was ever allowed to teach children," said Beca with a chuckle.

The two chatted for a bit about their respective childhoods while bowling. Beca learned that Chloe had grown up in Portland, Oregon, the second born and only girl out of four children. Her older brother Steven worked for NASA. Her younger brother Danny was a sophomore at Portland State University, majoring in Finance. Her youngest brother Chris, the "surprise" of the family, was in seventh grade.

"Hey, Beca, do you want to eat here? The food is actually pretty good."

"Sure. You pick. Just don't get anchovies if you get pizza."

Chloe wrinkled her nose. "I wouldn't dream of it. Those things are nasty."

Beca laughed. She was having such a good time with Chloe, and she was relieved that Chloe didn't like anchovies either. That wrinkled nose face Chloe made was awfully cute, too.

Chloe walked back with two drink cups in hand. She handed one to Beca. "Okay, they'll call my name when the pizza's ready. Coke okay with you?"

"Yup. Thanks," said Beca, taking a sip of her drink.

Chloe took a turn, getting a spare. "Yeah! The first mark of the game goes to me!" She began a little victory dance, making a point to shake her ass in Beca's direction. Beca just laughed at her date. She was too cute sometimes. The "booty shake" made her blush a little, though. Chloe had a really nice ass. She saw Chloe's grin widen when she caught Beca checking it out.

Beca took her turn, getting a strike. "Take THAT!" Beca smirked at Chloe. "I was just getting warmed up."

"Sure you were," said Chloe.

They called Chloe's name over the loudspeaker, and she came back with the pizza and a few plates. The girls decided they'd take a break and eat, knowing they'd get back to their game later.

"So, I have to ask. Does Aubrey hate me?"

"No, I think she gets it now. She's just protective of me. We're really close and she doesn't like to see me hurt. She won't be bothering you anymore, I promise. I caught her and Stacie in compromising positions twice recently. The last one was in public. She knows better than to say anything anymore."

"Stacie?"

"Stacie's her girlfriend now. They used to hook up all the time, but they finally admitted that they had real feelings for each other." Chloe told Beca about finding them against the apartment door and then seeing them leave a bathroom stall together after the ICCA finals.

"That was Aubrey and Stacie?" asked Beca. "Ashley told me there were two women loudly having sex in one of the stalls. I had no idea it was Aubrey."

"I'm so going to tell her she got caught. Is Ashley in Resonance with you?"

"Yeah, she took over my solo when I was in the hospital."

"Gotcha. Anyway, if you think Aubrey is scary, you should see my brothers. My older brother threatened to kill a guy back in high school for spreading a rumor that he'd slept with me."

"It kind of makes me wish I had siblings."

"It has its drawbacks too, believe me. We'd have an all-out war over who got the leftovers for lunch the day after we had pizza night. They drive me crazy, but I wouldn't trade them for the world."

"I hope I get to meet them someday," said Beca. She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, I mean, you know, if we ever..." she trailed off, worried she'd spoken too soon.

"You're cute when you're nervous," Chloe said, winking. "I'd love for you to meet my brothers. I already met your family. What was that your mother was saying about Bushwick?"

"Oh, that," said Beca, blushing. "So the night I got discharged from the hospital, you obviously know my mom took me back to her hotel room. We were flipping channels, and I..."

"You...what?"

"I screamed, scaring my poor mom. She thought I was in pain. I'd spotted an actress who looks just like you. She's the lead in Bushwick, and I swear she's like a blonde clone of you."

"I saw the movie. I looked it up after I heard your mom start to tell me I looked like the lead actress. Maybe I should dye my hair blonde."

"I think you look great as a redhead, personally. Are you a natural redhead?"

"Yup, all of my brothers are too," said Chloe. She pulled out her phone and showed Beca a picture of herself with three guys that had the same color hair and eyes as their sister. "So, you know how you freaked out about someone on TV looking like me? I did something weirder."

"What's that?" asked Beca.

"Well, when it had been a week since our date and I didn't hear from you, Aubrey and Jessica tried to cheer me up with ice cream and a movie."

"I really am sorry about that," said Beca.

"It's in the past," said Chloe with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We're here now, so it doesn't matter anymore. So, as I was saying, Aubrey and Jessica tried to cheer me up with ice cream and a movie. They started up 'Trolls' and I flipped out when I heard the first song."

"Why?"

"I swore the pink troll sounded just like you," she said, her cheeks turning pink.

"Seriously? I've seen that movie. That troll is super happy all the time. That's so not me."

"I don't know. I was upset and I probably was hearing things, but I swore she had your singing voice."

"I'll have to listen to the soundtrack sometime. That's funny. I hope it wasn't too upsetting, was it?"

"I made them turn it off and switch movies. It was a rough night, but I was a lot better after that."

Beca took Chloe's hand. "I really do feel awful about losing touch so quickly. I promise I won't lose your number again."

"It really is okay, Beca. Nobody's perfect. Let's get back to bowling."

Chloe ended up winning the bowling game and executed another victory dance involving a fair amount of shaking her ass at Beca. Beca couldn't help but laugh. This woman was too cute for words, and she obviously didn't have a shy bone in her body. She blushed less this time, or at least, she hoped she did.

The two decided to head to a "make your own sundae" ice cream parlor after bowling. Beca piled as many gummy bears as she could on top of her ice cream, finishing the creation with a generous amount of whipped cream and a cherry on top.

"Do you think you have enough gummy bears?" joked Chloe.

"I can never have enough of those," said Beca, giggling. She glanced over at Chloe's sundae. "What's with the Swedish Fish? Those are piled just as high as my gummy bears."

"They're soooo good."

"And you judge me for gummy bears?"

"Only because Swedish Fish are better."

"Says you."

"So, apparently, we're both five-year-olds."

Both girls were laughing so hard, they had to stop to catch their breath so they could eat their sundaes. Once they were finished eating, Chloe dug in her purse, producing a small wrapped present.

"This is for you," Chloe said as she passed the wrapped present to Beca.

"Oh, geez, Chloe, I...didn't know second date presents were a thing. I don't have anything for you. I'm..."

"Beca, it's okay. They're not a thing. I just got something I wanted you to have, and I  _love_  wrapping presents. Just open it."

"Are you sure?"

"Totes."

"Okay," said Beca. She opened the present and laughed when she saw the package. "An Otterbox?"

"I did some research, and it's one of the best phone cases on the market. Somebody said it still worked after they threw the phone against the wall. I figure it's drunk roommate-proof."

"I sure hope so. I guess that's why you asked what phone I had."

"Sure did. I have a purple Samsung myself, so I hope it fits like it's supposed to," said Chloe. "Can you show me that rhythm thing you did from your audition?" Chloe grabbed an empty ice cream cup from the pile and handed it to Beca.

"You really want to see it?"

"Yeah. I'm curious to see what you wasted an afternoon learning."

"I don't know. It's kind of lame."

"It can't be that lame if it got you into Resonance," said Chloe. "Please?" Chloe gave Beca her best puppy dog eyes.

_And another thing she does that I find cute. What the hell is wrong with me?_

Beca began the rhythm game and sang the song she'd sung in her audition. She ended the song with a bit of a sheepish smile. She looked up and realized she'd drawn a bit of a crowd at the ice cream parlor.

"Beca, you have totes got to show me how to do that!"

"Not right now, Chloe," said Beca. She turned to her "audience." "Okay, show's over, people. Move along. Just two college girls on a date, nothing to see here." She waved her hands in hopes of "shooing" them away.

"That's pretty cool, Becs." Beca blushed at the nickname.

"Thanks, Chlo."  _I guess we're shortening each other's names now?_

Chloe winked at Beca. "I do have one more thing I wanted to ask you, though."

"What's that?"

"Beca, will you be my girlfriend?"

"I would love to be your girlfriend," replied Beca. She leaned over the table and planted a kiss on Chloe's lips.

Even though it hadn't really been her plan, Beca was so glad she'd gone to college. She'd been able to reconnect with her father, get to know her stepmother, and she'd met some wonderful people. She'd gotten the courage to come out of the closet, and she finally had someone she could call her girlfriend. She still hoped she'd get discovered as a singer and get that recording contract, but maybe she wasn't in such a hurry now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That's it for the story. Thanks for reading!


End file.
